Guildhall

The Guildhall, with a museum on the ground floor, was built in 1740 and has undergone alterations in the 19th century and later. It is constructed of granite ashlar, with a hipped slate roof featuring ridge tiles. The building follows a single-room plan, with the main guildhall chamber on the first floor and a central entrance on the front elevation. A two-storey addition to the rear contains the staircase and a single-room plan rear wing.

The front of the building has two bays to the left, fronting a ground-floor room, and a bay to the right leading to a rear passage. The ground floor features an arcade of three round arches supported by rectangular piers and square imposts. Above, three 18-pane sash windows are set within thick glazing bars and have cills and voussoirs. A limestone date plaque, bearing a shield and the inscription “Richard Edgcumbe Esq erected this building Anno 1740,” sits beneath the central window. The eaves are boxed. The left side of the building is in granite ashlar, while the right side has a passage wall constructed from granite rubble, with five granite steps leading to panelled double doors secured with strap hinges. Slate-hung walls are above the doors. The rear wing is also of granite rubble, with a single light with an iron grille at ground floor level, and a raking dormer with a large four-pane sash and a small single light under the eaves on the first floor. A large eight-pane sash window illuminates the upper chamber from the rear.

Inside the first-floor chamber, fielded dado panelling is complemented by relocated linenfold panelling along the west end wall. Steps lead up to a dais on either side of the west end. The dais has turned balusters, a moulded handrail, and a balustrade along the front. Benches line the rear, and a central mayoral seat is set into the wall, featuring balusters, moulded arms, a rounded panel over, Ionic pilasters and a broken pediment with dentils and egg and dart mouldings. A similar seat with a plain panelled back and cornice is located at a lower level in front of the dais. The ceiling features a deep coved plaster cornice. A painting of Richard, Lord Edgcumbe, dated 1760 and given to the borough by his son, hangs on the east wall.