Description

PLYMOUTH

SX45NW SALTASH ROAD, Devonport
740-1/4/174 HMS Drake: Theatre Complex
08/07/98

GV II

Includes: HMS Drake: St Andrew's Church SALTASH ROAD
Devonport.
Barrack master's house and canteen, converted to theatre and
associated recreation and service rooms, now partly a church.
1879-86, extended 1892-1912, Superintendent Engineer Lt-Col P
Smith, RE.
MATERIALS: Plymouth limestone: rock-faced ashlar to basement
of theatre end, otherwise limestone brought to course and with
limestone dressings; slate roofs behind parapets with moulded
entablature or triangular pediments; stone axial and lateral
stacks with moulded entablature; louvred ventilator above
projection room of theatre.
STYLE: Free Classical.
PLAN: single-depth plan house at N end with canteen to S side,
separated by a courtyard; a wide through passage and attached
single-storey cloakrooms at the higher end of the theatre,
then a pedimented 2-storey block, plus another block at the
higher end.
EXTERIOR: theatre over basement, single-storey link building,
otherwise 2 storeys; 1:6-bay theatre with pedimented moulded
doorway approached by steps on the left and blind windows.
Theatre passage and buildings on the right are set back from
the theatre. Passage has wide round-arched doorway with
corbelled imposts; 2 tall transomed windows right of this with
plain architraves. The parapet entablature continues as a
mid-floor entablature across the 5-bay pedimented front
approached by full-width round-ended flight of steps; keyed
oculus to pediment. Building on right is 3-window 1st-floor
range with segmental-arched ground-floor openings: a doorway
on the left and a window on the right. Above the doorway is a
banner inscribed FISHER. Wider 3-window right-hand return has
similar details. 3-bay left-hand return of Theatre has central
triangular pediment over large 3-light round-arched window
with square columns as mullions; blind flanking windows.
2-window-range side wall of house left of Theatre.
Rear has similar general detail to other elevations. On the
left is a wing with a central tripartite window on each floor;
right of this are ramped walls to courtyard of building with
pedimented end; right of this another tripartite window and
the round arch of the rear of the through passage, then there

is a 4-window range with horned sashes with glazing bars. Set
back right of this is a large 3-light double-transomed window
but with squat ground floor flush with the flanking buildings.
At far right is the 4-window-range house front with pedimented
and moulded doorway on the right approached by a flight of
steps; original horned sashes with glazing bars and pair of
panelled doors.
INTERIOR: of theatre has original roof structure with tie
rods. Office has dogleg stairs and panelled doors. Other
buildings not inspected.
HISTORY: built and used as Barrack Master's quarters and
canteen until 1912. Theatres were built in a number of
military barracks in the late C19, though HMS Drake was the
only one of the navy's three first barracks to have one. Now
houses St Andrew's Church.
Part of one of the finest and most complete barrack complexes
in England, manifesting the Royal Navy's status and importance
at this time.
(The Buildings of England: Pevsner N: Devon: London: 1989-:
655 & 656).

Listing NGR: SX4490556849

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26666088

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

• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
• 
  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Hampshire: South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)