MDE20965 - Church Hill House, Lynton (Building)

Church Hill House. Early 19th Century, 2 storey, 5 windows at 1st floor. The 3 window portion left has flank pilasters and centre projection with front gable, 3-light 1st floor window with "gothic" panes above "gothic" entrance, and 19th Century shops at each side. Wide eaves projection. 2-window wing, right, splay bay with exposed frame window on each face, ornamental cast iron balustrade continuous across wing above 19th Century shop. [1] House with shop. Early to mid 19th Century. Rendered, slate roof. Original range probably a symmetrical villa with central gable to street, extended by 2 bays to right, slightly set back. Ground floor has 3 19c plaster shop fronts: that to left has original plate-glass display windows with thin cast-iron mullions. Centre unit is a 20th Century replacement within the pilasters, and right-hand unit is a symmetrical plate-glass front. Across this frontage are scant remains of cast-iron brackets which formerly carried a continuous decorative cast-iron balustrade to a shallow balcony. This appears in early photos, including one in bartlett of 1929. Under the gabled centre is a pair of 19th Century doors. A stack to each gable end. Interior not inspected. The shops do not retain significant original detail. [2] At Church Hill, is Church Hill House, an early-mid 19th century island group of house with shops. There is a steep fall to the south on the return to Queen Street. The main range is five bay with three canted oriel windows, and the ground floor has three late 19th century pilastered shop-fronts with moulded cornices. The best preserved is to the left with original plate glass display windows with cast-iron mullions and a tiled stall-riser, but all three retain some authentic detail. The listing details state “with the adjoining Old Coach House (see below), this is an important element of streetscape opposite St. Mary’s Church, and the two buildings between them occupy a complete triangular island block lying across a steep slope.” [6] The building was visited in April 2012 as part of the rapid condition survey of Exmoor's Listed Buildings 2012-13. It received a BAR score of 6. [7] The building is mentioned in the 2019 Conservation Area Appraisal for Lynton. [8] The building was assessed as part of the 2018-19 rapid condition survey of Exmoor’s Listed Buildings, receiving a BAR score of 6. [9]