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Summary

Block of houses, offices and shops built 1844 and 1887. Now entirely offices and shops. This is one of the earliest works of the distinguished Barnstaple architect, R. D. Gould, and makes a significant contribution to this part of Barnstaple.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1385355: BRIDGE BUILDINGS

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• HOUSE (XIX to XX - 1844 AD to 1951 AD (Between))
• OFFICE (XIX to XXI - 1844 AD to 2012 AD (Between))
• SHOP (XIX to XXI - 1844 AD to 2012 AD (Between))

Full description

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

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

1-7 The Square (Consecutive) Bridge Buildings. (Formerly Listed as: The Square (North side) Bridge Buildings).
Block of houses, offices and shops, now entirely offices and shops. Numbers 3-7 built 1844 by RD Gould of Barnstaple; numbers 1 and 2 added 1887. Solid rendered walls; stone balustrades; cream brick at rear of number 1. Roofs not visible from street. Red brick chimneys. A roughly L-shaped range fronting both The Square and The Strand, the corner arranged as a broad curve. The block seems to be made up of a terrace of conventional houses; numbers 2 and 5 appear to be one room wide and 2 rooms deep with a narrow open-well staircase beside the back room. 3 storeys. 19-window range; the 6 left-hand windows (facing The Strand) belong to the 1887 addition. Uniform Classical design. Ground storey has horizontal channelling with pilasters at intervals. Upper storeys have pairs of giant Corinthian pilasters flanking the first, 6th, 10th, and 19th windows from the left. These windows are of 3 lights, as are the 4th and 15th windows, which form centrepieces to each of the 2 fronts; except that the 4th window has only one light in the 2nd storey. The centrepieces have pilasters with enriched capitals between and flanking the lights in the 2nd storey; and panels inscribed BRIDGE BUILDINGS over those in the 3rd storey. Towards The Strand the 2nd-storey window has a balustraded balcony on large brackets; on top of its entablature stands a patterned iron guard-rail. Towards The Square the 2nd-storey window has foliated scrollwork on the frieze of its entablature and a balustrade in front of the window above. The whole front has continued moulded cills in 3rd storey. Top entablature with dentilled modillioned cornice surmounted by a stone balustrade with pedestals at intervals. Over the centre of each front is a larger pedestal decorated with foliage to The Strand and key pattern to The Square; each carries a pair of scrolls supporting the Bridge Trust arms towards The Strand and a scallop shell towards The Square. Ground-storey openings have been considerably altered, but original doors survive at numbers 1 and 2, and to right of No.3; each has a short moulded panel at the bottom and 2 tall ones above; patterned fanlights at numbers 1 and 2. Ground-storey windows at numbers 1 and 2 have 3 mullioned-and-transomed lights, the mullions designed as slender columns with twisted shafts. Entrance to No.3 flanked by Greek Doric columns. Upper-storey windows generally have 6-paned sashes; side-lights 2-paned, upper 3rd-storey sashes 3-paned. In the 2nd storey the lower sashes in the 2 left-hand windows, except in the side-lights. The 8th and 10th windows from the left in each upper storey are blind. Short 4-window return to Maiden Street, similar in character to the main fronts. Flanking pilasters to right-hand window, the ground-storey window mullioned-and-transomed like those facing The Strand. Barred sashes throughout, except in the lower centre sash of the right-hand 2nd-storey window. The second 3rd-storey window from the left is blind. At left-hand end, in a projecting porch, is an original 3-panelled door. The rear walls of the building, visible from Maiden Street, have 6 and 8-paned sashes.
Interiors: partially inspected only at numbers 2 and 5. The former has late 19th century wooden staircase with turned balusters and newels, the newels with finails and pendants. Moulded cornices in ground storey, enriched ceiling-band on first floor. The ground-floor rear room has fireplace with bracketed shelf; cast-iron grate with tiles. Number 5 has original wood geometrical staircase; cut strings with shaped step-ends; thin square balusters, the balustrade voluted at the foot. Entrance passage has at the front a plain dado with moulded rail and skirting; at the rear a round arch with panelled soffit springing from square piers with enriched capitals (left side mutilated). The 2 first-floor front rooms have enriched ceiling-bands and chimneypieces with bracketed shelves.
One of the earliest works of the distinguished Barnstaple architect, RD Gould, and makes a significant contribution to this part of Barnstaple. It was built by the Feoffees of Barnstaple Bridge both as an investment and to beautify the approach to the town from the bridge.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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