The Square, Wiveliscombe

The Square is a town square in Wiveliscombe, Somerset, England. It was originally used as a market place, and contains a number of listed buildings. One of these, number 5 and 7, is Grade II* listed, while five others—number 1, Castle Cottage, the cottages adjoining Castle Cottage, the Town Hall and London House—are all Grade II listed.

The Square
The Square, facing east
LocationWiveliscombe, Somerset
Postal codeTA4 2JT
Coordinates51.0423°N 3.3125°W / 51.0423; -3.3125
East endHigh Street, Silver Street
West endNorth Street, West Street

Buildings

The Square has six listed building entries. On the north side, numbers 5 and 7 make up one entry and number 1 forms a separate entry, and in a courtyard set back from the square, Castle Cottage, and the cottages adjoining it are considered two entries.[1][2][3][4] On the south-east side, the Town Hall and London House are both individually listed.[5][6] Castle Cottage is reckoned by English Heritage to be the oldest of the six, and is described as being 17th century, although it was refronted in the 19th century. It is a Gothic, two storey, timber framed cottage with a slate roof.[3] The adjoining cottages are from the late 18th century, but now provide stores for number 1, rather than accommodation.[4] Number 1 is more recent, being from the early 19th century, but with a 20th-century shop-front.[2] Numbers 5 and 7, which is the only Grade II* listed building on The Square, was originally a bank and house, dating from 1881, but now serves as a shop and the library. English Heritage describe it as being of the Norman Shaw style. It has three storeys, of which the upper two are fronted with a pattern tile-hanging, while the ground floor is red sandstone. The building has wooden casement windows, some of which project from the walls, with decorative wooden panels beneath. It has a large double wooden door in an arch, which was the entrance to the bank, now the library.[1]

London House is on the east side of The Square, on the corner with West Street. It is a three-storey rendered building from the early 19th century, with a more modern extension along West Street. There are remains of an earlier (probably 18th century) building at the rear.[6] The Town Hall was built in 1841-42 from designs by Richard Carver, the Somerset county surveyor. A two-storey brick building, it has large round headed sash windows, and a clock on the gable end facing The Square. The ground floor has shops at the front. The hall has been used for a variety of purposes, including assembly rooms, magistrates courts and a war-time cinema. In 1958, The Co-operative Group, who own the building, boarded it up and it has remained vacant since.[7] In February 2015, the Wiveliscombe Town Hall Trust signed a lease with the Co-operative Group to manage the Town Hall.[8]

Notes and references
  1. Historic England. "5 and 7, The Square (1307465)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  2. Historic England. "1, The Square (1344835)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  3. Historic England. "Castle Cottage (1177380)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  4. Historic England. "Three cottages west of Castle Cottage (1059833)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  5. Historic England. "The Town Hall (1307454)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  6. Historic England. "London House (1059832)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  7. "Campaigners hoping to gain control of their Town Hall". ITV News. 10 May 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  8. "Wiveliscombe Town Hall lease signed". 2 February 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
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