Venue Type & Location
Overview
The town of Barnstaple was the most important town on the N coast of Devon and a focal point for touring troupes from S Devon and Somerset from the mid-15th c. to the early 17th c.
The timber-framed Tudor guildhall stood in the High Street near St Peter's Church.
Performance History
As the seat of civic government and centre for festive occasions, Barnstaple's guildhall was probably the venue for most performances by touring entertainers before the mayor and city officials before 1642.
Current Status
History of the Venue
14th c. St Nicholas guildhall used as a market house and meeting place.
1549 The hall of St George the Martyr guild was purchased by the corporation for use as the town hall (Chanter and Wainwright, Barnstaple Records 2.32).
1826 Tudor guildhall demolished. New guildhall built in neoclassical style in the High Street at the bottom end of the Pannier Market.
Record Source
REED Devon 30--51
Patrons who owned this venue
[No data found.]
Bibliographic Sources
- Chanter, J.R. and Thomas Wainwright. Barnstaple Records. 2. Barnstaple: A.E. Barnes, 1900
- Cherry, Bridget, and Nikolaus Pevsner. Devon. London: Penguin Books, 1989
- Hoskins, W.G. Devon. Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1973
- Lamplugh, Lois. Barnstaple: Town on the Taw. Chichester: Phillimore & Co. Ltd., 1983
- Tittler, Robert. Architecture and Power: The Town Hall and the English Urban Community c. 1500–1640. Oxford: Clarendon P, 1991