Old Town Hall, Crediton

The building was commissioned by the Crediton Literary Society and Mechanic's Institute to serve as their public rooms. The society had around 150 members and was established in 1832. The building was designed by Richard Davie Gould of Barnstaple in the neoclassical style, built in brick with a stucco finish and was completed in 1852. Near the end of the century, the building was reconstructed, but the original facade was retained. It then served as a public events venue known as the "Town Hall". It became a popular venue for theatrical performances: a comic play known as "A Bogus Bandit" by Leopold Montague was performed there in February 1896, and plays continued to be performed there…

The two-storey building is constructed of brick on a stone plinth, with stone dressings and a slate roof. The front and the ground floor of the right side is stuccoed. The design involves a symmetrical main frontage of three bays. There are three round-headed openings on the ground floor with a doorway in the left-hand opening and windows in the other two openings. The first floor is fenestrated with sash windows with balustrades in front and pediments above. The main frontage is surmounted by a large modillioned pediment containing a roundel with a projecting bracket in the tympanum. Below the pediment is an inscription: "ANNO QUINTO VICTORIAE REGINAE MDCCCLII". Inside, there is an open…