Elm Tree House

Cadw's description

Location

On the S side of Main Street some 25m E of its W junction with East Back.

History

Late C18 town house, said to have been the town house of the Corston estate. Corston was owned by the Meares family 1665-1770, and from about 1780 to 1936 by the Leach family, so that this house, if late C18, would have been built for them. Abraham Leach, came of a Pembroke family and owned also Cosheston Hall. John Leach is recorded as owner of property in Main Street in 1819. The internal detail of the house is largely earlier C19, but fielded panelled doors may be later C18.

Exterior

Terraced house, painted stucco lined as ashlar with close-eaved slate roof and renewed red brick right end stack. Three storeys and cellar, three bays. Hornless 12-pane sashes to upper floors, 16-pane to ground floor, with slate sills. Central arched doorway with quarter-round edge moulding, frosted glass fanlight and later C19 four-panel door. Second floor windows are shorter, ground floor windows wider than those on first floor. Pavement grille to right over basement opening.
Right end wall has some slate hanging visible in gable to right of stack.

Interior

Entrance hall with 6-panel doors, panelled shutters with sunk panels. Small W room has wooden plain fireplace surround. Staircase with bulbous turned bottom newel, continuous curving rail up to top floor, square balusters and scrolled tread ends. Landing window with panelled shutters. First floor has two 4-panel fielded-panelled doors and one 6-panel between front and rear wing. Top floor has 4-panel fielded panelled door and some 6-panel doors. Rear wing has mid to later C19 detail: ground floor dining room has square bay on S, plain moulded cornice, ceiling rose, fireplace and sideboard recess.

Reason for designation

Included as a late Georgian town house with surviving interior features.