Early 18th century possibly, stucco, 3 storey, high pitched pyramidal slate roof, Victorian detail remodelling. Early 19th century shop front, pilasters.
Add. note
Exchange House is a ca 1702, brick-built, 3 ? storey, hip-roof structure of 3 bays deep and has a 3 window frontage with sandstone quoins, covered by reticulated stucco quoins.
The front facade has a date inscription of 1702 (damaged), sash windows with keystone heads at first-floor and the second floor window heads each have a pair of brackets supporting a moulded wooden eaves board. The rectangular ca 1700 plan and roof of the house are defined by the hip-roof at each end, although the rear third appears to include parts of an earlier building, part in stone with former fireplace? There is also a small projecting rear wing of ca 1800 extending on the S-E side. At first-floor there are 3 transverse ceiling-beams, which probably replicate the original ground-floor form, now modernised with iron girder ceiling. The first, second and attic floors retain much of their original form, although it is believed to have had a central chimney heating rooms on each floor, but the surviving evidence is unclear.
The roof-trusses of the building and its ceiling-beams certainly indicate an early C18th date, perhaps originally with transom windows, such as the blocked one towards the rear of the S-E wall. A large building for its time at the centre of the town, in a prime trading position, probably related to trading of merchandise or banking as its name suggests. The carved heads to the architraves probably represent different trading merchants or nations, which would explain its name, but they may not be original and perhaps are in C19th stucco. At later periods other more fashionable windows have been inserted and the interior altered. The blocked windows of the adjacent early C17th building to its N-W wall suggest that former buildings on this site were much lower.
Geoff Ward, 22/07/2004.