Town Hall

ASHBURTON

SX7569 NORTH STREET 849-1/10/141 (West side) 10/05/73 Town Hall

GV II

Market hall, now Town Hall. Built 1849-50 by Lord Clinton; architect, A Norman of Devonport. Squared and coursed limestone rubble with granite dressings. Rear wing part-rendered, part random limestone rubble with red-brick dressings. Hipped slated roofs. Rendered chimney on rear wing. 2 storeys. Italianate design. Main front to North Street is 7 windows wide with square clocktower and bell-turret at left-hand end. Ground storey has 5 round-arched openings with continued imposts; keystones of centre and end-arches emphasized. Centre arch contains a doorway with iron gates. Other arches contain windows; 6-paned sashes in those nearest the centre, fixed 6-paned sashes with transom-lights in those on the outside. Upper storey windows round-arched with plain granite surrounds and continued moulded imposts; 4-paned sashes. Beneath them a pedestal course having a prominent moulded stringcourse as its base. Raised quoins at right-hand end of front, those in ground storey rough-faced. Bracketed eaves-cornice. Tower is wholly rough-faced in ground storey with plain raised quoins above. Eaves-cornice continues round it and on this stands the bell-turret, each side with a round-arched opening having a granite keystone and imposts; prominent moulded cornice and stepped conical roof with ball-finial and weathervane. The bell remains in position. Rear wing, occupying a prominent position facing the car park, has in the upper storey tall round-arched windows with 4-paned sashes. Prominent boxed eaves-cornice. (The Buildings of England: Cherry B: Devon (2nd edition): London: 1989-: 132; West Country Studies Library: Ashburton parish file: Exeter).

Listing NGR: SX7552869933