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Summary

Early 18th century house with shell hood over doorway which has fine plasterwork to under-side, and a fine plaster ceiling to ground floor front room.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II*) 1104743: 28, SOUTH STREET

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS41NE/23
• Old Listed Building Ref (II*): 90518

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• HOUSE (XVIII - 1701 AD to 1701 AD)

Full description

Devon County Council, 28 South Street Great Torrington (Ground Photograph). SDV348605.

Other details: Films 481 and 537.

Richardson, A.E. + Lovett Gill, C., 1924, Regional Architecture of the West of England (Monograph). SDV348601.

Hooper, W. R., 1936 - 1937, An Old Devonshire House and Family, 344 (Article in Serial). SDV19221.

Hoskins, W. G., 1954, A New Survey of England: Devon, 503 (Monograph). SDV17562.

French, K. + French, C., 1957, Devonshire Plasterwork, 134 (Article in Serial). SDV4676.

28, South Street, Great Torrington. Ceiling of period three, dated 1701.

Department of Environment, 1973, Great Torrington, 33 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV2214.

Dated 1701, two storey, five window red brick front. String course. Heavy eaves cornice with brackets. Roof has three pedimented dormers, the central one segmental. Original lead down-pipe has enriched rain-water head with initials "CGM" and date. Sash windows. Doorway has shell hood on modillion brackets. Fine plaster work to under-side of hood consists of central cartouche with grouped weapons surrounding it. This house is almost identical with No 28 Bridgeland Street, Bideford, which Professor Richardson attributed to Nathaniel Gascoyne (1695). The Bideford example has lost its original doorway.
Interior: one panelled front room to ground floor has exceedingly fine ceiling. This has round centre panel with a group of musical instruments in high relief. (cf Denham Place, Bucks, circa 1693). Foliage ornament in quadrant panels. Otherwise the interior is cut about and altered.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1977 - 1978, SS41NE27 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV348600.

Site visit on 27th November 1978. A two-storeyed, five-bayed house of red brick, dated 1701 on a rainwater head. It has a conspicuous hood-mould over the doorway but otherwise is very plain and undistinguished. Other details: Photo.

Timms, S. C., 1982, 28 South Street Great Torrington (Personal Comment). SDV348603.

Site visit on 14th April 1982. Exterior seen. No change from Department of Environment description. Side wall, facing west onto car park is to be repaired.

Great Torrington District Chamber Of Commerce, 1987, Torrington Town Trail, 12 (Leaflet). SDV19224.

No. 28 South Street, built in 1701 and once the residence of John Sloley, Mayor of Torrington in 1827, has a fine plaster relief ceiling and porch head.

Hunt, P. J., 1989, Torrington, 8 (Report - non-specific). SDV352248.

Built in 1701 by Nathaniel Gasgoyne. Now used as offices.

Horner, W., 1994, 28 South Street Great Torrington (Ground Photograph). SDV348604.

Slide of plaster ceiling.

Horner, W., 1994, 28 South Street Great Torrington (Personal Comment). SDV348602.

Site visit on 8th January 1994. Interior being renovated by the Landmark Trust. Slide taken of musical instrument plaster panel.

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

Cramp, C., 2015, North Devon Relief-Decorated Ceramics in the Household, 201-2, 210, 215, Figs 8.4, 8.9 (Article in Monograph). SDV365391.

One of Devon’s finest town houses of its day; built in 1701. Its celebrated features include an excellent plaster ceiling in a ground-floor room showing musical instruments and a hooded porch with relief trophies. During restoration of this house by the Landmark Trust in 1994-6, a first floor fireplace in the former main chamber at the front of the building was opened and about 15 whole tiles and some smaller fragments, damaged and loose, were found within. They were all of design K13 (a fleur-de-lis initialled IE); some showed evidence of scorching. The builder reset them in the hearth as he thought they may have been placed originally.
A firedog decorated with v(3)K34 on either side and in part on the front. It is poorly fired and crumbling, with traces of green/brown glaze in places. In view of the close proximity of the findd spot with the Castle Hill pottery, it is possible that it was made there.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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