Description

TRURO

SW8244NE PRINCE'S STREET 880-1/7/216 (South side) 10/03/87 Former Bishop Philpot Library and public rooms (Formerly Listed as: PRINCE'S STREET Bishop Philpot Library)

GV II

Formerly known as: SPCK bookshop and Palace Theatre PRINCE'S STREET. Former library, meeting rooms and Masonic Hall. 1867-1869. Local rubble brought to course with freestone dressings to chamfered openings, hoodmoulds to ground-floor bays of north front and to first floor of public rooms of south front; rear and right-hand side rendered; dry slate roofs. Large rectangular plan. Tudor-Gothic style. 2 and 3 storeys, multi-bayed north elevation: the public rooms have symmetrical 3-storey 3-bay 3-gable facade to Prince's Street, plus 4 bays to 2-storey range on the left; 5 ground-floor square-headed casement windows with 4-light Gothic heads, with 2 windows with lights partly replaced, one completely replaced by C20 glazed doors; all openings under stepped string course. Taller entrance bay has 4-centred arched door with buttresses at right angles, frieze above with 2 couchant heraldic beasts with coats of arms; central first-floor 5-light leaded window with shield frieze at base, quatrefoils to centre, 2 flanking cast-iron casement cross windows, all under drip mould; central gable with 2 lancets, quatrefoil, outer gables, with casements under 2 centred traceried heads; 3 x 4-centred casements on left. 3-sided entrance at return angle to public rooms, 2-centred ground floor doorway. 4-centred stair window with gable let into conical roof. Further gable return beyond with one ground-floor 4-light and 2 first-floor 3-light casements, gable with trefoil. Stacks cut down. Philpot Library wing on right has one ground-floor 3-light shop window with cut stone arches; one casement; 2 first-floor 3-light casements; one attic gable 2-light casement; gabled doorway with 4-centred arched door and square hoodmould; lettering and Bishop Philpot's coat of arms above. C20 doors. Rear to Green Street has 6 first-floor 3-light windows to public rooms, central gable with bracketed stack. Gable wing on right with mullioned and transomed window flanked by smaller cross windows over 3 arched 2-light windows with Y-traceried heads. Bishop Philpot Library on left has 2 ground-floor outer frames of former 3-light mullioned and transomed windows with metal grill bars; central 4-centred doorway with square hoodmould, carved spandrels, C20 door replacing original moulded door with tracery patterns. Elaborate cut stone oriel above with 6 central traceried and single canted side light traceried mullioned and transomed windows. Bracket below oriel has lettering "HEN. PHILPOTTS Ep EXON DD 1869" with coat of arms, canted roof of bay has floriated frieze. Gable with quatrefoil with Bishop's mitre. INTERIOR: Public rooms have central staircase with balustrade concealed, angle staircase has cast-iron balustrade with cast-iron heads above first floor. Hall has 6-bay roof supported on wall posts, trusses concealed but clearly surviving. 7th bay forms gallery. Philpot Library has 2 rear rooms surviving with one classical and one Gothic fireplace, modest well staircase with Gothic newel, classical balusters. Landing with 3-light window with heraldic stained glass. Fine 2-storey library with canted boarded ceiling, upper gallery on cast-iron brackets, balustrade and brattishing. Massively overstructured High Victorian-style in-situ bookcases. Interior has both 'Gothick' and High Victorian-style details.

Listing NGR: SW8283444735

External Links

• Wikidata Q26497226

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