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

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26497226

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

• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  Surrey (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)