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Summary

Half timbered three storey house with cob and stone mix to side and rear. An important and intact survival of a 17th century Devon merchant's townhouse.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II*) 1326170: 8, FORE STREET

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: ST00NW14
• Old DCC SMR Ref: ST00NW/66
• Old Listed Building Ref (II*): 95285

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• HOUSE (Built, XVII - 1601 AD (Between) to 1700 AD (Between))

Full description

Tiverton District Council, 1978, Cullompton Conservation Area, 6 (Report - non-specific). SDV41951.

Department of Environment, 1986, Cullompton, 65 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV336339.

Solicitor's offices, formerly a merchant's town house, 17th century. Half timbered, with cob and stone mix to side and rear, plastered, under gabled-end slate roof, and abutting the property to the left. L-shaped plan, with rear wing, the one-room deep main range facing the street. The house appears to conform to merchant-house plan type with shop and storage area on the ground floor, and main rooms on the first floor. Main range of three storeys, rear wing of two. Left-hand end stack and another at junction of main range and wing, both with brick shafts.
Front: except for the altered ground floor, a symmetrical 17th century range: upper floors with exposed close studding and horizontal bar, the upper part of the first floor with plaster coving concealing jetty; these two storeys divided one from the other by decorative frieze. Second floor: horizontal rail broken by three three-light casement windows, lintels at eaves level, each light with 20 leaded panes. First floor: studding below coving takes the form of ionic pilasters and broken by two six-light windows. Some crown glass survives. Ground floor: 19th century refacing under slated pentice; left hand side brought out with two-light window; right-hand side with two-light sash window. Vehicular entrance between. Right-hand side elevation with no windows.
Rear: one two-light window and a single-light window above vehicular entrance.
Interior: first floor (two rooms) with two moulded axial beams; moulded mullions, and one big internal upright support to each window. Newel staircase to rear with octagonal newel and moulded finial. Attic with original floorboards, two door frames, and post and wattle internal partitions.
Roof: three bays, purlins trenched into principals; apex carpentry not visible. No 8 Fore Street is an important and intact survival of a 17th century Devon merchant's townhouse.

Morton, R., 2007, Land at Station Road Cullompton, Devon. Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment for Tesco Stores Ltd, 7,17 (Report - Assessment). SDV338659.

Keystone Historic Buildings Consultants, 2009, The Walronds, Cullompton, Devon. A Conservation Management Plan for The Cullompton Walronds Preservation Trust. Consultation Draft, 22, 26, 27; figures 3, 21 (Report - non-specific). SDV344797.

Now called the Merchant's House, the building is dated to the early 17th century on stylistic grounds. Shown on a painting of circa 1825 with a thatched roof. The Merchant's House together with The Walronds and The Manor House represent perhaps the finest piece of early 17th century streetscape to survive in any Devon town.

Ordnance Survey, 2011, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV346129.

James, T., 2011, The Proposed Cullompton Town Centre Enhancement Scheme, Fore Street, Cullompton, Devon: Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Assessment, 4, 6-7; figure 2, site B5; plates 3, 7 (Report - Assessment). SDV347743.

National Monuments Record, 2012, 898793 (National Monuments Record Database). SDV338707.

Historic England, 2022, 8 Fore Street, Cullompton, Devon (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV365029.

Notification that Historic England is considering an amendment to the entry for the above building on the List of Buildings of Special Architectural and Historic Interest as part of the High Streets Heritage Action Zone project.

Historic England, 2022, National Heritage List for England, 1326170 (National Heritage List for England). SDV364675.

8 Fore Street. Built as a merchant's town house, C17.
Reasons for Designation
8 Fore Street is listed at Grade II* for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest: a C17 vernacular building of high status, retaining good-quality joinery enriched with decorative mouldings, and leaded glass to the principal elevation; retaining a good proportion of historic fabric internally, including moulded joinery and stair, with a legible historic plan form.
Historic interest: a good example of a C17 Devon merchant’s house.
Group value: one of a number of historic listed merchant’s houses that survive on the town’s principal street.
History
8 Fore Street is an important and intact survival of a C17 Devon merchant's townhouse.
MATERIALS: half-timbered, with cob and stone mix to side and rear, plastered, under gabled-end slate roof, and abutting the property to the left.
PLAN: L-shaped plan, with rear wing. There is a one-room deep main range facing the street. The house appears to conform to the merchant-house plan type with a shop and storage area on the ground floor, and main rooms on the first floor.
See listing description for full details.
Date first listed: 24th October 1951. Date of most recent amendment: 12th October 2022

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4777 - Conservation Management Plan for The Walronds, Cullompton

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