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Summary

The pannier market, comprising a long rectangular brick hall occupying almost the length of Butchers Row, was built circa 1850. A market house is shown in this location on Gribble's map of Barnstaple, published in 1830.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building 1385084: PANNIER MARKET

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS53SE/30
• Old Listed Building Ref (II)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• MARKET HALL (XIX - 1801 AD to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

Gribble, J. B., 1830, Barnstaple (Cartographic). SDV357319.

Market House marked (6).

Lomas, J., 1967, The Old doors and Doorways of Barnstaple, 47 (Article in Serial). SDV85818.

R. Gould designed the Pannier Market and Music Hall in 1864 to incorporate the arches in all external doorways and the arched approach to Butcher's Row (now demolished).

Department of Environment, 1973, Barnstaple (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV89941.

Market House on the north side of Butcher's Row was formerly listed as Market, Market Place. Circa 1850, built by R D Gould. Rectangular brick hall, the long side occupying almost the whole length of Butchers Row. Semi-circular brick arched entrances to each bay with larger arch in centre. West end Guildhall with two arched entrances through the latter building. Interior, centre and side aisles. Timber support and roof with 20-bays. Elliptical trusses over centre aisles. All the listed buildings in Butchers Row form a group with Guildhall in High Street.

Bone, M., 1973, Barnstaple's Industrial Archaeology, 24 (Monograph). SDV78228.

The market house was opened in 1855 following an Act of Parliament of 1852. As far back as 1811, the Improvement Act for the town had recommended the erection of a market house, but the pannier market continued to be held in the southern end of High Street. The market house was designed by R D Gould of Barnstaple. It was extended in 1864.

Devon County Council, 1975, Barnstaple Town Trail, 17 (Article in Monograph). SDV352446.

Timms, S. C., 1976, The Devon Urban Survey, 1976. First Draft, 73 (Report - Survey). SDV341346.

It is possible that a street market was held in this location from medieval times.

Timms, S., 1987, The Archaeology of North Devon Towns, 3 (Un-published). SDV354573.

Mills, A., 20/05/2005, Cross Street, Barnstaple (Correspondence). SDV321823.

A wooden surface comprising wooden blocks, quite chunky and laid very tightly end-grain up, have been found in the Pannier Market and also in Gammon Walk and Cross Street.

Ordnance Survey, 2012, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV348725.

English Heritage, 2012, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV348729.

Pannier Market, Butcher's Row.
Formerly known as: Market, Market Place. Market building. 1855. By RD Gould of Barnstaple. Red brick with dressings of yellow and blue brick and Bath stone. Slated roof with full-length, partly glazed lantern down the centre. A single long room extending almost the full length of Butchers' Row, from the Guildhall on the west to Queen's Hall (not included) on the east. Former corn market adjoins rear at right-hand end. Single storey. Front to Butchers' Row arcaded from end to end with 20 round-arched doorways, the 12th doorway from the left slightly wider and set in a slight projection. Doorways have keystones and continued imposts of Bath stone; all but the wider doorway have recessed inner surrounds of yellow brick and a 5-paned fanlight. Above the arches a raised Bath stone band surmounted by a brick parapet with stone coping. Between the arches are rainwater pipes with town arms and date 1855 on the heads. Attached to the keystone of the wider doorway is a lamp on an enriched iron bracket. At rear, opening into Market Street, is a wide doorway matching that at the front.
Interior: has a nave and aisles with 19 pairs of chamfered wooden posts supporting the roof trusses. The posts have moulded capitals from which spring arch-braces supporting 2 tiers of principal rafters, these being linked by diagonally-braced panels in the form of St Andrew's crosses; iron scrollwork in the spandrels of the arches. Between the posts on each side are similarly-braced panels, the uprights of which are finished with small moulded pendants; arch-braces with scrollwork in the spandrels again support them and above them runs a clerestory. The aisles have lean-to roofs with complex chamfered bracing and behind the purlins is diagonally-set boarding. At the west end the wide entrance into the Guildhall has a doorway designed like a Venetian window with 2 chamfered posts supporting a segmental-headed centre opening; over all 3 openings is a massive patterned fanlight. Flanking the entrance are 2 pairs of round-arched windows with continued brick imposts; the left-hand (south) window, which is slightly taller than the others, is blocked. At the east end of the market is a series of similar arches, now blocked, which opened into the corn market prior to the building of Queen's Hall. In the rear (north) wall, east of the exit to Market Street, is a row of 5 round-arched doorways leading into the later corn market. This has its original roof with chamfered trusses supported by an elaborate system of iron braces. In the west wall is a giant Venetian window with moulded cornices and archivolt to the lights. The centre and left-hand lights retain barred sashes, the head of the centre light taking the form of a fanlight with radial bars. The Pannier Market stands on the site of the Butchers' Market, erected in 1812 with the Corn Exchange above. The old building extended back only as far as Anchor Lane (now Market Street). The new one was carried right to Boutport Street, the rear section (now Queen's Hall) forming the corn market with a music hall above. At the same time a new street (Butchers' Row) was cut through on its south side with butchers' shops opposite. In 1864 the Pannier Market, which already extended under the Guildhall, was continued into the corn market, the latter being moved to its existing site on the north. Date listed: 19th January 1951. Date of most recent amendment 29th September 1999.

Friends of Archaeology ND, Unknown, Historic Barnstaple (Leaflet). SDV356772.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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