The Guildhall in

Barnstaple Barnstaple ( or ) is a river-port town in North Devon, England, at the River Taw's lowest crossing point before the Bristol Channel. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool and won great wealth. Later it imported Irish wool, bu ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

is the

Guildhall A guildhall, also known as a "guild hall" or "guild house", is a historical building originally used for tax collecting by municipalities or merchants in Great Britain and the Low Countries. These buildings commonly become town halls and in som ...

for the town and was completed in 1828, replacing an earlier Guildhall. Beneath and behind the Guildhall is the Pannier Market; completed in 1855, the building has been a Grade II* listed building since 19 January 1951.

The Guildhall

The Guildhall is located on Barnstaple's High Street, on the corner with Butchers' Row. Originally, a meat market was on the present site with a corn market above made up of 34 stalls running from the High Street to Anchor Lane, about halfway down the length of the present Pannier Market. The people of Barnstaple were unwilling to extend the market further at this time as they were concerned at the high cost required to buy the site and feared that a Pannier Market in the town would not be a success. Meanwhile, vegetables and dairy goods continued to be sold from panniers outside on either side of the High Street. Eventually it was decided to build a Guildhall on the High Street end of the meat market. Designed by Thomas Lee in the

neo-classical style Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

in 1826 and completed in 1828, the smoothly rusticated ground floor supports an upper floor with Ionic

pilaster In classical architecture Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the ...

s and pediment, modest in scale and appearance. The High Street façade has five arches with the central bay wider than the others. The side wall facing Butchers' Row is probably by local architect R.D. Gould and dates to 1855. While the Guildhall is built of solid and rendered walls, portions exposed internally during works in 1991 suggest that the front wall is built of red brick while the right side wall (which is possibly a pre-1826 party wall) is built of stone rubble. The roof is slated while the rendered chimney has a moulded cornice on its right gable-end. In the blind window facing Butchers' Row is an octagonal clock face originally on the Northgate from about 1760 to its demolition in 1842 when it was removed to the

Bluecoat School A bluecoat school is a type of charity school in England, the first of which was founded in the 16th century. Most of them have closed; some remain open as schools, often on different sites, and some of the original buildings have been adapted ...

where it remained from 1842 to 1971 until it was moved to its present position in 1982. To the left of the doorway below is the Mayor's poor box constructed of iron and dated to 1895.

The Main Chamber

The Chamber still retains may of its features from the time it served as a courtroom having a bench for the Justices' at its South side together with similar side-benches and two square mobile boxes on rollers for the accused and witnesses. Above the side benches are short galleries for ladies and the grand jury while at the North side is located tiered seating for the general public. In front of the bench is a large table for the clerk and lawyers. The Chamber was the meeting place of the historic

Borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

of Barnstaple. Not used as a courtroom since the 1960s, the Chamber ceased to be the local seat of government as well when

North Devon Council North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

was formed in 1974. However, the Chamber continues to serve as the meeting room for Barnstaple Town Council and here take place the annual Mayor Making Ceremony and the Fair Proclamation. On the walls of the Chamber are displayed portraits of former

Mayors of Barnstaple In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

and various other local dignitaries including local benefactor

William Frederick Rock William Frederick Rock (29 January 1801 – 8 February 1890) was a British publisher and philanthropist. Early life Rock was born in Barnstaple to Henry and Prudence Rock. William was an elder child and older brother; he had two sisters, Ann ...

and Barnstaple-born

John Gay John Gay (30 June 1685 – 4 December 1732) was an English poet and dramatist and member of the Scriblerus Club. He is best remembered for ''The Beggar's Opera'' (1728), a ballad opera. The characters, including Captain Macheath and Polly Peac ...

, author of '' The Beggar's Opera''. Some of these were painted by the noted artist Thomas Hudson and a number were restored with funding from the National Lottery.

The Dodderidge Room

The Dodderidge Room displays the town's collection of silver and other relics connected with the history of

.Clarke, p. 12 The beautiful carved fireplace is from the former Dodderidge House in Cross Street in Barnstaple that belonged to wealthy local merchant, ship-owner and three times

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

in 1621, 1624 and 1625,

Pentecost Dodderidge Pentecost Dodderidge (died c. 1650) of Barnstaple in North Devon, was three times Member of Parliament for Barnstaple in 1621, 1624 and 1625. Origins Dodderidge was a son of Richard Doddridge, merchant, of Barnstaple. His elder brother was ...

, after whom the room is named. The house was demolished in 1910 following which the fireplace was moved to a Marist Convent in the town. In 1949 the fireplace and panelling in the room were given to the Guildhall by Alderman John Smale. The top feature on the fireplace was carved locally and dates from 1617 and displays the initials PD and ED; PD for Pentecost Dodderidge himself and ED for his wife, Elizabeth, whom he married in 1599. The main body of the fireplace may have been carved in London or Spain. The Mayoral chain displayed in a cabinet in the room dates from 1872; this became the chain of the Lady Mayoress in 1911 when a new Mayor's chain was designed and created by Fred Partridge. This new Mayor's chain was funded by donations from the descendants of former Mayors of Barnstaple and the medallions incorporate scenes from the town including the old Guildhall, the

Castle Mound Cambridge Castle, locally also known as Castle Mound, is located in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England. Originally built after the Norman conquest to control the strategically important route to the north of England, it played a role in the conf ...

and

Queen Anne's Walk Queen Anne's Walk (formerly The Mercantile Exchange) is a grade I listed building in the town of Barnstaple, North Devon, completed in 1713 as a meeting place for the town's merchants. It is believed to have been designed by the architect W ...

together with representations of the old town seals and portraits of

and

. The display of silver includes a silver-gilt steeple cup and cover of 1589 given, according to its Latin inscription, by Richard Dodderidge, the father of Penetcost Dodderidge after whom the room is named; silver-gilt steeple cups and covers of similar design dated 1606 and 1620, the latter donated by John Penrose, after whom

Penrose's Almshouses Penrose's Almshouses are 17th-century almshouses in Litchdon Street, Barnstaple, in Devon, England, built in memory of John Penrose (1575–1624), a merchant and Mayor of Barnstaple. They have been a Grade I listed building since 1951. History ...

in the town are named; two silver-gilt ceremonial maces made by local goldsmith John Peard and dated 1660, replacing earlier ones made in 1425; two silver tankards from 1676 donated by Thomas Horwood,

Mayor of Barnstaple The Mayor of Barnstaple together with the Corporation long governed the historic Borough of Barnstaple, in North Devon, England. The seat of government was the Barnstaple Guildhall. The mayor served a term of one year and was elected annually on t ...

in 1653; a punch bowl of 1745 donated by Thomas Benson,

for Barnstaple in 1749; and an 18 inch long oar c1780 signifying an Admiralty warrant for the Mayor in his capacity as Water Bailiff for the Port of Barnstaple. It is inscribed "John Morse Esq., Mayor" on one side, and "Barnstaple Water Bailiff" on the other. The smaller oar signifies the Admiralty warrant of Harbourmaster and would have been worn by Barnstaple's Harbourmaster like a piece of jewellery. Also displayed in this room is a small collection of ship models made by French prisoners-of-war from the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

Nikolaus Pevsner Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (1 ...

, ''The Buildings of England: North Devon'',

Penguin Books Penguin Books is a British publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.Barnstable in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. Displayed on the walls are rolls of honour listing past

together with a number of pictures and other artifacts connected with

's twin towns and the town's links with the Royal Family.

Pannier Market

Barnstaple has been the major market for North Devon since Saxon times. Demands for health regulation of its food market in Victorian times saw the construction in 1855 to 1856 of the town's Pannier Market, originally known as the Vegetable Market and designed by local architect Richard Davey Gould. Like its sister

market Market is a term used to describe concepts such as: * Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand * Market economy *Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market Geography *Märket, a ...

at nearby Bideford, the building has a high glass and timber roof on iron columns. At long, it runs the length of Butchers' Row from the High Street to Boutport Street. This new building intended for the selling of vegetables was built on the site of the old meat market, with a Corn Market and Music Hall built shortly after at the Boutport Street end. The butchers who were forced out of their meat market on the site were given new and permanent stalls just across the road in Butchers' Row. The Pannier Market became a great success and in 1897 local historian W.F. Gardiner wrote: "The result is that Barnstaple can to-day boast of the possession of Markets such as many a county town might well envy. Indeed, Barum's Pannier Market is one of the finest in the Kingdom". Before the days of supermarkets the Pannier Market was the best place to obtain daily goods, many supplied by local farmers. Today the Pannier Market sells a wide range of goods on an almost daily basis, with occasional special days such as wedding fairs. Built on the other side of the street at the same time as the Pannier Market, Butchers' Row consists of ten shops with

s of

Bath Stone Bath Stone is an oolitic limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England. Its honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of ...

, and wrought iron supports to an overhanging roof. Only one of the shops remains as a butcher. Until his death in 2018 local naturalist

Johnny Kingdom Walter John Kingdon (23 February 1939 – 6 September 2018), known as Johnny Kingdom, was an English wildlife filmmaker and photographer specialising in his local area of Exmoor in north Devon and west Somerset. Early life Before finding fame, ...

regularly had a stall at the market from which he sold signed copies of his books, DVDs and photographs of wildlife. As of early 2020, the local Council's web site provided this summary for Pannier Market: "Largely unchanged in over 150 years, Barnstaple's historic Pannier Market has a wide range of stalls, with everything from fresh local produce, flowers and crafts, to prints and pictures, fashion and ... two cafés". The "Pannier Market, Butchers Row" has been Grade II listed since 1951.

References

Sources

External links

Virtual tour of the Guildhall, Barnstaple
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guildhall, Barnstaple Barnstaple Buildings and structures in Barnstaple Guildhalls in the United Kingdom Retail markets in England Pannier markets Grade II* listed buildings in Devon