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Summary

Site of showrooms built in the early to mid-19th century. The area behind the façade has been demolished and is now a car park.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• North Devon District Council Rescue Archaeology Unit Site Code: Site 34
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS53SE/442
• Old Listed Building Ref: 485492

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• SHOP (XIX - 1801 AD to 1900 AD)

Full description

English Heritage, 03/04/2013, Remove from listing 37 and 37a Boutport Street, Barnstaple (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV351069.

Remove from listing 37 and 37a Boutport Street due to major fire damage resulting in demolitionof all but the front elevation.

Although the surviving façade of 37 and 37a Boutport Street contributes to the streetscene, the fire has caused considerable damage resulting in the loss of historic fabric. All that remains is its roadside frontage and even this has lost some of its architectural detailing. What remains can no longer be considered to be of special interest and the building should be removed from the statutory list.

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

37 Boutport Street in Barnstaple shown on 19th century map as a long L-shaped building in a rectilinear enclosure with several outbuildings and a fountain shown as 'Fn' to the east of the house.

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

Fewer outbuildings are shown on the early 20th century map but the fountain is still present. Map object based on this Source.

North Devon District Council Rescue Archaeology Unit, 1986, Interim Report on Small Sites Work, Barnstaple (Report - Interim). SDV90724.

Trench 9 to the rear of 37/37A Boutport Street in Barnstaple found that the high building with its semi-basement had removed any significant archaeological deposits.

North Devon District Council Rescue Archaeology Unit, 1991, North Devon Archaeological Site Code Index, Site Code ND37 (Report - non-specific). SDV63429.

Recorded in 1986 as part of assessment for a car park proposal.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 1999, Barnstaple, 45 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV337042.

English Heritage, 20/02/2013, Completed initial assessment of 37 and 37a Boutport Street, Barnstaple (Correspondence). SDV351058.

History: The showrooms were built in the first part of the C19 and consisted of a main stone rubble building and brick rear wings. In 1899 the building was remodelled, including a rebuilt front elevation, for J Symons and Son, furniture makers. An early-C20 images shows the building in use by the furniture company, including a fabric awning at ground-floor level, and a hipped roof. In the late C20, the exact date is unknown, it suffered extensive damage following a fire which resulted in the loss of all of the building except the front elevation.

Details: Early to mid-C19 showroom, the front elevation was rebuilt in 1899 by FW Petter of Barnstaple for J Symons and Son, furniture makers; most of the building was destroyed by fire in the late 20th century.

MATERIALS: yellow-brick front with stone dressing.

PLAN: A front elevation facing onto the street which stands at the west end of a plot which would originally have consisted of rest of the building stretching back to the east.

EXTERIOR: A two-storey front elevation with a mezzanine level in between. The ground floor and mezzanine level are boarded up. In 1988 the ground floor was recorded as being divided into bays by elaborately-moulded iron columns and the mezzanine level was noted to contain small-paned windows. It is unclear if any of this decoration survives. A row of iron brackets, each with a 6-pointed star in the centre, which would have supported the first floor balcony still survive, although the balcony railings have been removed. The first-floor window is five bays. The glazing has been removed. The window is topped by carved stone arches. Everything to the east of the front façade has been demolished.

INTERIOR: Nothing survives beyond the front façade which is supported to the rear by
scaffolding.

English Heritage, 20/11/2012, Application to remove 37 and 37a Boutport Street from the List of Hisotric Interest (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV350693.

Application to remove the property from the List of Buildings of Special Architecture or Historic Interest.

North Devon District Council, 2003, North Devon Buildings at Risk Survey 2000-2003, 29 (Report - Survey). SDV344372.

Façade only remains. No provision for weathering to exposed masonry.

Bluesky, 2006 - 2007, Bluesky aerial photographs 2006 - 2007 (Aerial Photograph). SDV341189.

Car park visible on site of former house and showroom.

English Heritage, 2010, Historic Houses Register (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV154869.

Showrooms, now empty. Early or mid 19th century, the front rebuilt in 1899 by FW Petter of Barnstaple. Yellow-brick front with dressings of stone and coloured tiles. Rear walls patchily rendered; main range seems to be of stone rubble with some red brick (including the whole of the stair projection); rear wing all of red brick. Front roof covered with corrugated-iron. Rear roofs were described as slated in 1988 list description. There were then 3 old red brick chimneys on rear wing. Long double-depth main range with staircase centrally placed at rear. Long rear wing to left. Two storeys with mezzanine and garret. Five-window range. Ground storey divided into bays by elaborately moulded iron columns, from which, at mezzanine level, rise open-work iron brackets (each with 6-pointed star in centre) formerly suporting a balcony. Between the 2 left-hand bays is a broad pilaster with beaded edges and carved capital. The 2 right-hand bays have been altered, although the columns probably survive under late 20th century casings. Mezzanine has small-paned windows and is finished with a dentilled cornice. second-storey windows have carved stone arches with continued tiled imposts. 1988 list description refers to top entablature with bracketed cornice and frieze of coloured tiles; 3 stone dormer windows with round arches and iron finials; middle dormer set in a hipped projection. There was originally an iron balcony at first-floor level with 4 large statues leaning against the wall behind. Rear wall had bowed stair projection with almost continuous small-paned windows from top to bottom, some of them certainly replacements of the originals. The wing to right, which butts the edge of the stair window and is probably a mid 19th century addition, had small-paned sashes. Large, late 19th century bow window to left of ground storey.
Interior: list description of 1988 mentions wooden staircase in front original with thin, square-section balusters. Enriched modillioned cornices at both upper-floor levels. Moulded and enriched iron column supports beam in mezzanine at the front. Rear wing has mid 19th century geometrical stair with balusters matching those at front; late 19th century carved wooden staircase at rear. The building was remodelled in 1899 for J Symons and Son, furniture makers.

Ordnance Survey, 2010, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV344030.

Map object based on this Source.

Southwest Archaeology, 2013, Greater Barnstaple Area Project Database, Mapping Area 469 (Un-published). SDV351581.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4599 - North Devon Buildings at Risk Survey 2000-2003

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