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Summary

Late 16th/early 17th century merchant's house, refurbished as a Stamp Office in 1901, now a restaurant with house above. Three storeys and attic, one-window front, built in an attractive eclectic Elizabethan style. First-floor front room has a splendid oak-panelled chimneypiece dated 1585.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1208895: CRANFORDS RESTAURANT

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX85SE/129
• Old Listed Building Ref (II): 387244

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• HOUSE (XVI to XX - 1501 AD to 2000 AD (Between))

Full description

Department of Environment, 1972, Dartmouth, 20 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV155627.

Fairfax Place (East side) No 29 (Bay Tree Restaurant). Probably early 17th century with alterations, 3 storey and attic, slate roof, 4-light mullion transom gabled dormer, 18th century enriched wood eaves cornice, tile hung 2nd floor with ovolo moulded mullion transom casement. Splay bay multi-light ovolo moulded casement at 1st floor. C18 6-panel door, left, with fanlight. Modern restaurant with recessed entrance. Ancient brick chimney right. Interior: 1st floor panelling including mantel dated 1595. 1st floor, close string stair with column newel. 3rd floor, Jacobean panelled door.

Ordnance Survey, 2013, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV350786.

English Heritage, 2013, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV350785.

Cranfords Restaurant, formerly Listed as Bay Tree Restaurant. Merchant's house, refurbished as a Stamp Office, now a cafeteria with house above. Late 16th/early 17th century, refurbished 1901 for RC Cranford, ground floor altered more than once since for cafeteria. Mixed construction; stone rubble side walls, timber-framed front and back walls; party-wall stone stacks with 17th century Dutch brick chimneyshafts (star-shaped chimneyshaft of 1664 shared with No.4 The Quay; slate roof. Plan: Original house built end onto the street with a 2-room plan and side passage alongside left (northern) party wall. Exterior: 3 storeys and attic; one-window front built in the attractive eclectic Elizabethan style favoured by CR Cranford. Ground floor has side passage entrance to left, a 6-panel door with plain overlight. Shop front flanked by posts from 1901 enriched with guilloche but otherwise altered in the early 20th century for cafeteria with deeply-recessed central doorway. Good 1901 work above. First floor has central oriel with canted sides and moulded mullion-and-transom windows containing original stained glass. Corner posts carved with twists, embattled cornice carved with flowers and hipped roof of scallop slates up to a second-floor flowerbox ledge enclosed by an ornamental crest of cast-ironwork. Moulded small-field framing either side of the oriel under timber frieze of carved vines, pargetted panels containing arms of famous Dartmouth sons. Similar decoration below oriel with centre panel dated 1901 with initials RCC and CTC. Timber frieze below carved with strapwork and in the centre "Stamp Office". Second-floor level is slate-hung including bands of shaped slates. Centre pair of mullion-and-transom windows containing sashes, guilloche carving to king mullion. Timber eaves cornice carved with a blind arcade. Roof parallel to the street with front 4-light mullion-and-transom gabled half dormer; apex infilled with ornamental slate-hanging and carved bargeboards on 17th century-style carved brackets. Interior: Ground-floor features of circa 1901 include circular open-string stair with decorated brass balusters, the moulded box cornice could be earlier. Older work survives on the upper floors: first-floor front has a splendid oak-panelled chimneypiece dated 1585 with the initials AIC (each in a separate panel), richly carved with fluted pilasters - it now contains a good Adam-style chimneypiece. Access to the rest of the house was not possible, although it is said to have a newel stair and at least one 17th century panelled door. History: This plot was leased by the Plumleigh family from 1585 until after 1700. In 1655 this property was leased to one Anthony Plumleigh whilst the adjoining property, No.4 The Quay, was leased to Robert Plumleigh, both were mariners. The property here was built on land reclaimed from the estuary in the 1580s and thereafter Fairfax Place/Lower Street became one of the main trading streets in Dartmouth. It connects the old quay at Bayards Cove with the New Quay around the present Boat Float. (Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society: Thorp, John RL: 4 The Quay, Dartmouth: A Devon town-house of 1664: 1983-: p107-122).

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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