Old Town Hall Vaults

The Old Town Hall Vaults is a public house located on Saint Mary's Street in Whitchurch, dating from the mid-19th century. It is constructed of red brick with painted stone dressings and features a slate roof. The building has an irregular T-shaped plan with a slightly projecting cross wing to the left and is designed in the Tudor Gothic style.

The structure stands two storeys high and has a stone plinth, a moulded stone eaves cornice, and parapeted gable ends with moulded stone copings and shaped stone kneelers. An off-centre brick ridge stack to the right has a stone-coped rectangular base and three diagonally-placed square shafts, while the left-hand wing has a brick ridge stack with two shafts.

The façade consists of one bay on the left and two bays on the right. On the first floor, there are a pair of outer 2-light small-paned wooden casements with chamfered reveals, stone cills, and stone lintels that have returned hoodmoulds. The central first-floor feature is a canted oriel with a moulded base and 1-:2-:1-light small-paned casements, along with panels beneath, a frieze, a moulded cornice, and a blocking course above.

The ground floor has a pair of canted bays, each with flush lower panels, 1-:2-:1-small-paned lights, a frieze, a moulded cornice, and a coped panelled parapet. The central entrance features a pair of half-glazed panelled doors with chamfered reveals and a stone lintel with a returned hoodmould. There is also a blocked chamfered narrow opening in the left gable with a stone cill and lintel.

Notably, a granite plaque on the wall to the right of the entrance commemorates Sir Edward German, the famous composer who was born here on February 17, 1862. He is well-known for his operettas, including Merrie England and Tom Jones, as well as two symphonies and various songs. He passed away in 1936. The Old Town Hall Vaults was previously known as the Cornmarket Inn and is included for its group value.