The Guildhall

PLYMOUTH

SX5455NW FORE STREET, Plympton St Maurice 740-1/49/486 (North side) 23/04/52 No.42 The Guildhall

GV II*

Guildhall. 1696 datestone, for George Treby (and the Strode family). MATERIALS: roughly coursed rubble with dressed granite rusticated quoins, dressed granite arcade and granite ashlar arcade abutments and 1st-floor sill course and string; steep dry slate roof with sprocketed eaves over moulded and modillion cornice; steep asbestos slate roof to rear wing; brick stack over rear wall of front range. PLAN: shallow-depth front range with 2 shallow ground floor rooms flanking a central passage and the 1st-floor rooms deeper by projecting forward over a 3-bay arcade, plus deep rear wing at right angles and there is a single-storey extension on the right. EXTERIOR: 2 storeys; symmetrical 3-bay front. C20 16-pane horned sashes to 1st floor with carved heraldic panels between; round-arched mid-late C19 horned sashes and central round-arched doorway with fanlight and 9-panel door set back within arcade. Moulded round-arched arcade on Tuscan columns; carved 2-tier keystone to central arch; rubble relieving arches, those to left and right with plain keystones. Round rubble arches to returns allowing pavement access, the pavement with slate flags; sashes like the other 1st-floor sashes to 1st-floor returns; stair outshut to right-hand return of wing with early C19 12-pane hornless sash. Right-hand return has late C19 2-light round-arched windows with traceried heads. Rear has pointed-arched window with fanlight head. INTERIOR: not inspected but former list description notes: good C18 fireplace. The mayoral insignia are preserved and include 2 silver gilt maces. HISTORY: the Guildhall was given by the Trubys and the Strodes, 2 important families of the neighbourhood. (The Buildings of England: Pevsner N: Devon: London: 1989-: 684).

Listing NGR: SX5439255705