Market House

SX 0152 ST AUSTELL MARKET STREET (North side) 868/1/507 Market House 11.03.1974

GV II*

Market house. 1844, attributed to Christopher Eales. MATERIALS: granite ashlar with vermiculated quoins and voussoirs; dry slate roofs, over eaves cornice with heavy modillions at the front and with hipped ends to other roofs; dressed granite stack to left-hand end. PLAN: large irregular plan to fill available town centre site: at the principal front the ground floor is vaulted, 5 bays wide and 3 bays deep; behind is a large market hall open to the roof and with glazed lean-to shops on 3 sides; at either side granite steps up to higher level under axial roof to large entrance on right, and behind this there are 4 parallel roofs at right angles to the front. EXTERIOR: tall 2 storeys; symmetrial 5-window front with moulded round arches liked by moulded impost string to 1st floor, segmental and round arches to rusticated ground floor with vermiculated quoins. Plinth, bracketed string course and impost courses. Horned sashes with glazing bars and fanlight heads, over bracketed sills, to 1st floor. Ground floor has C20 plate glass to windows and wide doorway with plain fanlight and panelled doors. Market Hill elevation has large round-arched entrance with pediment and 2 bays with round arches at left and right; 3 similar bays right of this which are blind except for fanlight heads, and further pedimented doorway at far right. INTERIOR: entrance range has round granite cross vaults carried on plain Doric columns. Spacious inner market hall has granite staircase approached through a round-arched granite doorway to either side; gallery over arcade and a splendid array of braced and wind-braced queen-post roof structures. One of the best market halls in the country, with good elevations and an exciting interior.

Listing NGR: SX0139252504