Devonport Guildhall is a municipal building that served as a municipal hall, courthouse,

mortuary A morgue or mortuary (in a hospital or elsewhere) is a place used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification (ID), removal for autopsy, respectful burial, cremation or other methods of disposal. In modern times, corpses have cu ...

, and

police station A police station (sometimes called a "station house" or just "house") is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, ...

, located in the municipal centre of the town of Devonport, in Plymouth,

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. Devo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The site fell into disrepair and since the mid-1980s has been repurposed for community facilities. It is a

Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

History

The building of the guildhall

John Foulston's Town Hall, Column and Library in Devonport

The guildhall, which was designed by

John Foulston John Foulston (1772 – 30 December 1841) was an English architect who was a pupil of Thomas Hardwick and set up a practice in London in 1796.Peter Leach, ''Foulston, John (1772–1841)'', rev., Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford Un ...

in the Regency style with Greek Doric features, was completed between 1821 and 1824. Foulston designed a cluster of four buildings together in the area: the Guildhall, Column and Oddfellow's Hall still stand today whilst his Mount Zion Calvinist Chapel is now lost. The area of Devonport was then called Plymouth Dock and the presence of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

brought prosperity to the area. A petition was taken to

King George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten ye ...

, who granted permission for the area to be called Devonport in 1824. Devonport Guildhall was home to the magistrates court and the Mayor's Parlour and also was used for social events (the courtroom had removable fixtures to hold events and balls in the evening). There were cells and a mortuary, and a police station at the rear of the building. It was also the meeting place of the

county borough County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control, similar to the unitary authorities created since the 1990s. An equivalent te ...

of Devonport established under the

Local Government Act 1888 Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States * Local government, a form of public administration, usually the lowest tier of administrat ...

Decline and refurbishment

The building fell into disrepair when the

Three Towns Three Towns is a term used to refer to several groups of towns. United Kingdom There are several groups of towns in the United Kingdom referred to as the Three Towns, many of which form contiguous settlements, or are in close proximity to each ...

of Plymouth, Devonport and Stonehouse amalgamated in 1914 and municipal functions were transferred to the expanded City of Plymouth. Still utilised for the city, the building had a variety of uses, including as a gas-mask collection point during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. After it fell into neglect, Guildhall restorations were attempted – notably in 1986 when it reopened as a Citizen's Advice Bureau, Library, a playgroup, cafe and sports hall – but failed to survive due to the sheer size of the building. In 2009, Real Ideas Organisation was awarded a £1.75 million Community Assets Grant, with which they embarked on the careful and painstaking restoration of Devonport Guildhall to its former glory. Working closely with Plymouth City Council and the former Devonport Regeneration Community Partnership, RIO renovated Devonport Guildhall with the local community in mind. The building, which is run by a social enterprise, re-opened in 2010.

References

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History

The building of the guildhall

Decline and refurbishment

See also

References

Further reading