Drakes Place: Reservoir Walls, Colonnade, Boundary Walls And Railings, Conduits, Drinking Fountain And Fountain

740-1/43/382 NORTH HILL 25-JAN-54 (West side) Drakes Place: Reservoir Walls, Colonna de, Boundary Walls and Railings, Condu its, Drinking Fountain and Fountain

(Formerly listed as: DRAKES PLACE, NORTH HILL REMAINS OF CONDUIT BUILT INTO WALL FAC ING ROAD) (Formerly listed as: DRAKES PLACE, NORTH HILL REMAINS OF CONDUIT BUILT INTO WALL NEA R WEST ENTRANCE) (Formerly listed as: DRAKES PLACE, NORTH HILL COLONNADE)

GV II

Loggia, tower, and ornamental fountain with associated boundary walls and railings, built to commemorate the importance of the creation of the city leats and as part of a small public park centred around the reservoir. Part of granite inscription dated 1598, 1754 construction on site of 1617 conduit (Drake's Leat) incorporating reused columns from the former C17 market building; fountain built plus remodelling and reconstruction of the reservoir in 1874; further reconstruction in 1891. Stucco with stucco detail, paired granite columns, Plymouth limestone ashlar to terminal impost piers, coursed limestone and brick piers to tower, otherwise Plymouth limestone rubble used for retaining wall and side walls of reservoir. PLAN: battered retaining wall of reservoir with open loggia in front with 8 bays to either side of semicircular-on-plan stepped fountain plus small square-plan tower on the left and flanking walls to the whole. Loggia has moulded, keyed segmental arches on paired Tuscan columns, the impost piers have moulded plinths and capitals. Right of the loggia is a flight of stone steps to get to a walk above the loggia. Tower has pilaster corner piers and there is a pyramidal slate roof with a wide eaves soffit carried on large open brackets. Front has keyed round brick arch over split lunette flanking a pinnacle over tablet date 1754. To the south return and the east return along North Hill is a ramped and coped wall of brought-to-course Plymouth limestone with rock-faced piers with moulded cornices. Aligned with the end of the loggia is a pediment surmounted by a panel dated 1891 and inscribed with the names of those involved in the reconstruction of this monument. The panel is under a coped gable with a turned finial. The wall facing North Hill has ashlar piers with moulded cornices at regular intervals, with ornate heads to cast-iron railings (by Ellacott Foundry, Plymouth) to the final northern section. The former entrance to the reservoir from North Hill is placed in this latter section, and has stone steps flanked by similar ashlar piers. An important monument to the water supply of Plymouth, fed since the C16 by leats from Dartmoor. The Remains of Conduit built into wall near west entrance and the Colonnade were listed on 01/05/75. (The Buildings of England: Pevsner P: Devon: London: 1989-: 669).

Listing NGR: SX4809955115