Stoke Climsland Village Hall

Stoke Climsland Village Hall

This village hall was built between 1913 and 1915 by the architects Richardson & Gill for the Duchy of Cornwall. It was extended between 1979 and 1988.

The building is constructed of roughcast rendered blockwork with stone smooth-rendered dressings, covered by a pitched roof of Delabole slate. Sited at a right angle to the main street on a confined plot, the structure is single-storey and rectangular in plan. At the west end, slightly projecting bays to the north and south have hipped roofs. A single-storey flat-roofed extension of one bay width runs along the north elevation. At the east end of the roof ridge stands a square cupola-tower with a timber-louvered upper section topped by a ball finial and slate-hung below. Between the central hall and western rooms rises a rendered chimney stack.

The principal elevation faces east and consists of three bays. The main entrance is centrally placed within a single-storey projecting bay with a pitched slate roof spanning the full width of the elevation. The entrance features double doors flanked by paired Doric columns in antis and square Doric pilasters at the corners. Timber sash windows flank the entrance. Above the entrance sits a Diocletian window in a moulded surround within the gable end; the central section has been blocked and fitted with a clock. A stone cartouche bearing the Prince of Wales' feathers occupies the apex of the gable. The south elevation has three window bays and a door. The western section has a door and window bay to the south and two window bays to the north (one formerly a door), while the west elevation contains four window bays. Cast-iron rainwater hoppers bearing the date 1915 are positioned on the western part. Except for the north elevation, all windows are timber sashes within flat surrounds and swept cills; those on the south elevation have margin lights. All external doors are 20th-century replacements. Rubble-slate curved walls with moulded granite copings flank the set-back entrance elevation on both north and south sides. The northern wall curves downward towards the road, and its inner part was raised during the 1980s extension. Both flanking walls are fitted with 20th-century timber doors. The north extension elevation comprises six window bays.

Internally, the building is entered through a small lobby with flanking storerooms. Large timber partly-glazed double-doors open into the main hall, which is four bays long with timber sash-windows to the south and blocked windows to the north retaining their reveals. At the west end is a recessed bay flanked by reeded timber pilasters with patera to the capitals; the proscenium arch continues above a 20th-century inserted ceiling, where its timber entablature with mutules and meotopes survives. The walls are plastered and painted above a timber matchboard dado with moulded dado rail and flat skirtings. The floor comprises herringbone parquet pine block. Internal doors are two-panelled moulded timber with moulded timber architraves. Two doorways flank the former stage area: the south leads to the kitchen, which retains a timber ledged-door to the boiler space, and the north to a cupboard with a narrow door that originally gave direct access onto the stage and a further door to the former retiring room. The retiring room is now accessed via an adapted former external doorway on the north side of the hall, which also provides entry to the north extension where all finishes, doors and windows are 20th-century, although the roughcast render to the original external wall and flat window surrounds have been retained.