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Summary

Houses with shop fronts. Nineteenth century in appearance, but roof timbers may be of 17th- or 18th century date. Now part of the Royal Mail Public House.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1200871: ROYAL MAIL PUBLIC HOUSE (PART)

Other References/Statuses

• Old Listed Building Ref: 375728

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• HOUSE (XVII to XIX - 1601 AD to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

Department of National Heritage, 19/04/1993, Bideford, 19 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV338459.

Two houses, now part of a public house. Early 19th century, but could be basically earlier (see 375727). Solid rendered walls. Slate roofs. Red brick chimney at the right-hand end of the rear wall. Number 2 is 3 storeys of 2-window range. Ground-storey openings (a doorway and 2 windows) boarded up. Upper-storey windows have mostly box-framed sash-windows, that to left of second storey with 2-paned sashes. Left-hand third-storey window differs in having a 3-light wood casement. Number 3 is 2 storeys of 2-window range. Ground-storey windows boarded up. At each end is a 19th century shop display window with entablature above it. The second storey has 6-paned sash windows in box-frames. Interior not inspected.

Rushton, N., 2006, River Torridge Pipeline, Bideford, Devon: Rapid Archaeological Appraisal, 7, 14 (Report - Interim). SDV342463.

WA 75.

Arnold, A. J. + Howard, R. E., 2012, 1-5 Bridge Street, Bideford, Devon. Tree-Ring Analysis of Timbers, 1, 2 (Report - non-specific). SDV349550.

The east–west roof to number 2 Bridge Street comprises two principal rafter trusses, the trusses having collars but no tiebeams. The collars are pegged to the principals with slightly unusual notched-lap tennons. The principal carry single through-purlins to each pitch of the roof. There appear to be no original, or early, common rafters, these all appearing to be modern, late-twentieth century timbers. The east–west roof to number 3 Bridge Street also comprises two principal rafter trusses, again with collars, but no tiebeams. The collars in these trusses are face-lapped to the principals and fixed with nails. There are two sets of purlins to each pitch of this roof, these being carried on the backs of the principal rafters. There is some evidence, by way of redundant mortices and peg holes, and by the way that some of the joints are ill-fitting, that some timber in this roof may have been reused, or that the roof has been reconfigured and more recent repair pieces have been inserted. The timbers appear to present a less integral structure. There again appear to be no original, or early, common rafters, these all appearing to be modern replacements.
Eleven samples from 2 and 3 Bridge Street had been felled in the late-sixteenth century or early-seventeenth century. The final phase of felling is represented by the roof timbers of 3 Bridge Street which were felled in 1720.

Carter, D. + Carter, J., 2012, Building History (Statement of Significance) No. 1 Bridge Street (a.ka. 1 Church Walk), 17 -19 (Report - non-specific). SDV350811.

Marks on the long beam in the ground floor on number 1 Bridge Street, and other hand-tooled timbers in the two adjoining buildings, may be cargo marks, possibly dating to the 16th- or 17th century.

Carter, D. + Carter, J., 2012, Building History (Statement of Significance) No. 2 Bridge Street, 16 (Report - non-specific). SDV350809.

Numbers 1, 2, and 3 Bridge Street are of a different character to that of 4 and 5 Bridge Street.
Plans show that their depth is only as much as we would expect for buildings of a domestic scale. Victorian census records show that labouring and tradesman classes were occupying these properties. The interlinking of these 3 properties does confuse the situation, but given that Numbers 2 and 3 of are similar size and layout, we will consider these together.
The upper floors are of a standard of accommodation that can be expected for a town-house of this size and style.
The lower floors have been opened up. The ‘Royal Mail’ pub appears at No.2 Bridge Street sometime between 1851 and 1861. Sometime in the 20th century, thepub was extended to include No.3 Bridge Street. The 1930s Ordnance Survey map shows them as 2 separate properties, whereas the 1950s Ordnance Survey map shows them as one large Public House.
The significant ground floor feature of both nos. 2 and 3, are the large beams which extend across the width of both properties. These beams are described and illustrated in the report for no.1 Bridge Street, but it is their length which is significant. These are large pieces of imported softwood timber, basically ‘baulks’ probably intended for shipbuilding. The markings on them (particularly the beam in no.3) is referred to in the report on no.1, where further marks of the same nature were discovered.
Imported softwood beams of such a size are unlikely to date from the early 1600s, and it therefore appears that major replacement of floor structures at numbers 1 to 3 Bridge Street all occurred at some more recent time.
At first and second floor levels, the accommodation appears to be largely domestic, but subsequent discoveries made in stripping-out have shown the property to be much older than stated in the listing description. The stops on a doorway at second floor level, match the detailing on fireplace lintels in no.1, which have been approximately dated to the 1630s.
The Roof timbers of no.3 have been dated precisely to 1720, and the roof timbers of no.2 dated to circa 1630s. This is a little curious given that the properties all appear on a map believed to date from 1717, and suggests that the roof of no.3 was replaced on top of a much earlier structure.
The depth of the roof (front to back) for no.2 is much less than the depth of the roof of no.3, and the internal layout of no.2 suggests that an enclosed courtyard previously existed at the rear of this property.

Carter, D. + Carter, J., 2012, Building History (Statement of Significance) No. 3 Bridge Street (Report - non-specific). SDV350810.

Carter, D. + Carter, J., 2012, Building History (Statement of Significance) Numbers 1 to 5 Bridge Street, Bideford, Devon (Report - non-specific). SDV350807.

Ordnance Survey, 2012, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV348725.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4517 - Archaeological Appraisal of River Torridge Pipeline Routes, Bideford, Devon

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