Description

BRIDGWATER

ST2937SE QUEEN STREET
736-1/10/151 (North side)
16/12/74 County Court Office

GV II*

Court house. Foundation stone laid 9.6.1824. Architect Richard
Carver. Ham Hill stone with slate roof. Rectangular plan.
2 storeys; symmetrical 5-window range. Cornice and blocking
course returned to the sides; the 3 central bays are stepped
forward under a pediment supported by 2 Ionic pillars and
Tuscan antae; outer bays have tripartite windows between
Tuscan pilasters. Flat arches to windows on the first floor,
which are 6/9-pane sashes with shallow panelled aprons; the 3
central 6/6-pane sash ground-floor windows have segmental
arches and are set back under a segmental arcade with Tuscan
pilasters.
To the outer bays, under tripartite windows, are similar
segmental arches on Tuscan pilasters, that to the left has C20
planked double doors, that to the right has steps up to a C20
six-panel door, raised-and-fielded to the top beaded to the
base with vertical bead down the centre, under a
segmental-arched overlight of 2 panes.
INTERIOR: entrance hall to right has full-width stone flags,
high skirting board, 6-panel door to central room to left, a
semi-elliptical-arched recess with C20 door to rear left
leading to the stairs and a tall narrow semicircular-arched
recess in angle of corner to rear right. The right-hand wall
of office to centre has a wide semi-elliptical arched recess
over the door flanked by concave quadrant recesses so angled
as to form an even deeper recess; the moulded cornice follows
the contours.
The circular open-well staircase has stick balusters, a
wreathed curtail step, a continuous rail wreathed around a
turned newel. Rooms to rear are remodelled. Courtroom on first
floor has a segmental barrel-vaulted ceiling with 3 rows of 3
square panels, 3 narrow panels over the bench, thick box
cornice and ornamental ventilation rose to centre. The
furnishings are c1930, of oak, with a coat of arms over the
bench.
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: cast-iron bootscrapers flank the
entrance, these are inverted semi-circles raised on moulded
stems with a blade to centre and ornamental knobs to sides.
(Buildings of England: Pevsner N: South and West Somerset:
London: 1958-: 98).

Listing NGR: ST2995637142

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17553359

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)