Description

DARTMOUTH

SX874510 HIGHER STREET
673-1/8/152 (East side)
14/09/49 No.13
The Cherub

GV II*

Merchant's house, now a restaurant. Probably second half of
the C15, restored c1958 for Cresswell Mullet by Blamey and Co.
Mixed construction; rear and right (southern) party walls and
cellar walls of stone rubble, and exposed walls timber-framed;
stone rubble stack in right party wall with C19 red brick
chimneyshaft and old pots; slate roof.
PLAN: One-room plan with newel stair against right party wall
towards the front.
EXTERIOR: 3 storeys and cellar. Main front to Higher Street
has a 2-window front, all are C20 replacements and contain C20
diamond panes of leaded glass. 2 ground-floor doorways, both
contain Tudor-style panelled doors, one at right end and
another in centre. 4-light mullioned window between doorways
and another to left. First-floor windows are copies of C15
originals in the side wall. Similar 2-window front to Hornhill
but steps here go down to cellar which has another Tudor-style
panelled door through stone wall. On this side both
first-floor windows are original 2-lights with depressed
trefoil heads under an external ogee arch moulding.
Timber-framing is restored but contains a great deal of
original timber; large framing with large curving tension
braces. Jetties carried on the projecting ends of the floor
joists with extra support from curved brackets set into the
corner posts and king studs. Some of the carpenter's assembly
marks in Latin numerals can be seen. Low pitch roof is hipped
to left.
INTERIOR: Cellar has plastered walls and plain axial
(north-south) beam with replacement joists. Ground- and
first-floor structures are exposed with main axial beams and
dragon beams. Although the ground-floor dragon beams and
joists have been repositioned on top of the main beam (to
achieve practical headroom) most are thought to be original,
and mortises in the sides of the beam show a similar original
joist pattern. Original second-floor arrangement is more
complete and appears to include an original stair hatch
towards the north end, west of the axial beam. The newel stair
is probably C17. The fireplaces, one to each floor, are small
with plain oak lintels. Roof structure not inspected but
probably C19.
No.13 Higher Street is the oldest complete house still
standing in Dartmouth and one of the oldest town houses in the
south-west, forming part of a fine group.
(Transactions of the Devonshire Association: Russell P: The
Old House known as Number Thirteen, Higher Street, Dartmouth:
1959-: P.107-111).

Listing NGR: SX8778751249

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17533842

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)
• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  The Victorian House Manual (2nd Edition): How They Were Built, Improvements & Refurbishment, Solutions to All Common Defects - Includes Relevant ... ... Properties (Haynes Manual) (Haynes Manuals)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)