Historic England Awards a Grant of £260,692 for Urgent Repairs to Barnstaple Guildhall
The funding will enable Barnstaple Town Council to begin urgent repairs to the exterior stonework, render, windows, and roof to ensure the Guildhall is sound and watertight for years to come.
The Guildhall still houses the Town Council and is also a popular venue and visitor attraction. It holds the town silver and many fascinating relics of Barnstaple’s past and offers a programme of events and exhibitions.
The work on the Guildhall is long overdue, and as one of the Town’s principal and most prominent buildings, it is important that it is restored to its former glory. Its position on the corner of the High Street and Butcher’s Row means that this restoration will help to breathe new life into Barnstaple Town Centre. The Town Council will be putting in place a maintenance programme to ensure that it will continue to be cared for into the future.
Following a tender process, Pearce Construction (Barnstaple) Ltd has been appointed to deliver the project.
Repairs are expected to begin this week and take up to 20 weeks to complete.
The repair project is also supported by £100,000 from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ Future High Street Fund, which aims to renew and reshape town centres and high streets in a way that improves experience, drives growth and ensures future sustainability.
The last major work on the building, in 2006, was the installation of a lift and other facilities to improve the accessibility of the Guildhall.
The Guildhall was designed by local architect Thomas Lee and built between 1826 and 1828 in a neo-Classical style.
Lee’s other buildings include the Wellington Monument in Somerset and Arlington Court in North Devon.
The ground floor of the Guildhall has an open archway leading through to the recently renovated Pannier Market.
The Mayor’s Parlour, created in 1922 out of the former courtroom cells, is also on the ground floor.
The Guildhall was listed at Grade II* in 1951. It was placed on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register in November 2022.
The Guildhall first floor houses the Main Chamber, which was the Crown Court for 130 years. It features painted oak panelling and a decorative plasterwork ceiling, tiered public gallery seating, a Justices’ bench, and two square mobile boxes on rollers for the accused and witnesses. There is also the Dodderidge Room, which features 17th-century wood panelling and an intricately carved fireplace. Outside, on the roof above, there is a small bell house, or cupola, topped with an ornate weathervane.
I am glad that between Historic England and the wider funding made available from the Department of Levelling Up that this work will be going ahead shortly. With the vast amount of work happening in Barnstaple town centre to upgrade, enhance and maintain the High Street it is great to see this prominent building getting the attention it deserves.
Barnstaple is justly proud of its Guildhall and the vital role it plays in the life of the town. Our investment will help ensure it is in good repair and can continue to support the community and the local economy for generations to come
