Description

CHAGFORD HIGH STREET, (south side),
SX 7087 Chagford
6/114 British Legion Hall
(formerly St Catherines
20.2.52 Guild Hall)
GV II*

British Legion Hall, former church house and was school and poorhouse in C19. Late
C16-early C17, refurbished in 1709 according to date plaque (possibly after late C17
fire of Chagford), internally altered in late C19-early C20. Coursed blocks of
granite ashlar with much granite stone rubble patching to rear; granite stacks, the
original 1 with a granite ashlar chimney shaft; thatch roof, slate to outshots.
Plan and development: the hall is built along the street and set back a little from
it, facing north-east. It is now open to the roof from end to end. It has an
original end stack at the left (south-east) end and there is an inserted rear corner
stack at the right end. There was formerly a through passage right of centre and
originally an external first floor doorway. The first floor structure has been
removed . Secondary rear outshots.
Exterior: regular but not symmetrical 4-window front. All except the 2-light
version blocking the first floor doorway are original granite 3-light windows with
ovolo-moulded mullions. All have central iron casements. Some contain rectangular,
others diamond, panes of leaded glass. The ground floor windows have hoodmoulds
with relieving arches over. The front doorway is right of centre; granite Tudor
arch with hollow-chamfered surround and sunken spandrels containing an old plank
door with studded coverstrips. This doorway is original but some blocking
immediately to right suggests that it has been moved for the sake of regularity. It
is now set directly below the blocked first floor doorway. A shield-shaped plaque
set high on the wall between the first floor left windows bears the date 1709. Roof
runs across the front between the adjoining buildings. Secondary outshots across
the rear and although most of the first floor windows appear to occupy original
embrasures they now contain C20 casements without glazing bars.
Interior: is the result of a late C19-early C20 modernisation when the first floor
structure and the internal partitions were removed. Fireplaces both have
chimneypieces and grates of that date. The roof is not accessible although the feet
of straight principals show suggesting A-frame trusses; probably associated with
the 1709 refurbishment.
This building has an exceptionally attractive granite facade and forms a group with
other listed buildings opposite the Church of St Michael (q.v.), particularly its
neighbour The Three Crowns (q.v.).
The Guild House of St Catherine was founded here in 1200. This building looks as
though it was built as a church house. According to the Charity Commissioners
report of 1876 the ground floor was then used as a poor house and the first floor
was a school.
Source. Devon SMR.

Listing NGR: SX7008187491

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17537488

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

• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
• 
  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)