Minehead Hospital

Minehead Hospital is a public hall that was later used as a hospital during the First World War. It was built between 1888 and 1889 by the architect Piers St Aubyn. The building is constructed from snecked rubblestone with ashlar dressings and features a crested slate roof with stone stacks at the gable ends and flanking the central gable. It has a rectangular plan and is designed in the Gothic Revival style, standing two storeys high with attics and a symmetrical six-window range.

The two central ranges of the building are slightly stepped forward beneath a high gable, which has moulded coping and a shield at the apex. A string course steps down at the sides and runs below a parapet. The central pointed-arched doorway is flanked by fan-vaulted supports that lead to a canted balcony with pointed-arched panelling. There are gauged stone pointed arches and hoodmoulds above two two-light Decorated-style windows with transoms that open onto the balcony. The sides of the building feature three-light flat-arched windows with reticulated tracery and transoms, with substantial original hipped dormers above them that now contain 20th-century windows. The right return of the building has two large Decorated-style pointed-arched windows.

Inside, the reception hall has been altered. Originally, the Public Hall was owned by a company and constructed at a cost of about £4,000. It was used for concerts, dramatic performances, and could accommodate 550 people. The building is a visually prominent structure designed by a notable local architect and is included for its group value.