Victoria Hall

Victoria Hall, Crewkerne

A market hall, probably rebuilt in 1742 and substantially altered in 1836 and 1900. The building is constructed of coursed limestone rubble with Ham Hill stone dressings, and has a slate roof with various stone stacks.

The rectangular plan incorporates a long lower wing to the front-right which tapers toward the rear. Originally the ground floor was open, but this was infilled during the 1900 remodelling.

The north-facing front is two storeys with a four-window range. A shouldered gable with finials to the sides features a central finial above a simulated bell-turret with an engaged pendant serving as a keystone to the recessed arch below. This large central arch and two smaller flanking arches rest on four engaged Romanesque-style columns, which stand on corbels interrupting a string course at first-floor level. Within the large central arch are three twentieth-century round-arched windows, with a taller example at the centre, a roundel above it, and a stone platform on brackets below it (formerly with a balustrade). The ground floor contains two shops with centrally placed windows and side doors, articulated by Tuscan-style pilasters supporting a cornice. The lower right wing has a wide round-arched doorcase with a porch of shouldered segmental arch on consoles, supported by engaged Romanesque-style columns on plinths. A similar column on the right corner is connected by a small cornice to the column flanking the door. The double eight-panel doors have a semi-circular overlight with curved glazing bars and coloured glass, above which is an altered two-light casement. The building sits on a sloping site with steps starting at the left side and increasing to six on the right.

The east-facing right return is three storeys with a six-window range. A stepped-forward gable on the left has a stack in the apex and moulded kneelers to shouldered coping. The second floor has a continuous dripmould below the kneelers, forming arches with keystones to three recessed panels; the central larger panel displays an incised fan-pattern above paired vertical half-pane sashes, while those to the sides have vertical 2/4-pane sashes with a string-course at cill-level. The first floor of the gabled range has a platband above and moulded cill-course below, with small paired square 2/2-pane sashes in eared and shouldered raised surrounds flanking a projecting column bearing a plaque on a moulded base. The ground floor has tall paired windows flanking the column, with floating cornices and chamfered lintels with carved imposts. The platband continues across the ranges to the right, the cill-band only across the centre. The second floor of the central range has paired windows similar to those on the left, while the first floor has a small oval window in an ornamental surround to the left and a quatrefoil plaque to the right above double planked doors, with paired three-pane windows to its left. The right-hand range is gabled with a bell-turret above a tall round-arch opening with various glazing; slightly to the left below is a three-light round-arch stone-mullioned window. The wall then cants back to join the rear with a plainer two-window range.

The left return is two storeys with a five-window range, featuring a filled-in arcade of five wide Ham Hill stone ashlar segmental arches below a platband, with segmental arches framing 6/6-pane sashes with horns above each arch. The rear is two storeys with a two-window range, gabled with finials to the shoulders and a stack to the apex. Round-arch windows light the first floor and segmental windows the ground floor, with a twentieth-century fire escape crossing all.

The interior contains a stone open-well, open-string staircase with wrought-iron scrolled balusters and cast-iron newels at the turns, plus a wooden newel at the base. The first-floor hall features a tongued-and-grooved barrel-vault-type ceiling with trusses resting on scrolled stone corbels. Baroque-style fireplaces are present on the west and north walls, along with double doors with good brass furniture. Otherwise the interior has been substantially altered.

The main building was probably rebuilt in 1742. In 1836 the south piazza was added following the demolition of the shambles. In 1848–9 it became the museum, reading room and library (consisting of about 900 volumes) of the newly established Literary and Scientific Institute. It was extensively remodelled and the arches infilled in 1900 by Thomas Benson of Yeovil to create the Victoria Hall with shops and offices.