History
Built at a cost of £4000, Tavistock guildhall was opened on 5th October 1848 and is one of the earliest surviving purpose built combined police station and courthouse in England. The building was paid for by the dukes of Bedford using their wealth generated by the mines in the local area. The building was listed in 1952 and later upgraded to grade 2*, reflecting their historical importance. The guildhall has been disused since 2000 with the police station moving to new premises in 2013. The building has received heritage lottery funding and work is soon due to begin to restoration, run by the Tavistock Heritage Trust.
The explore
Visited with @AndyK and @SpiderMonkey. Access was a bit of a struggle but it was worth it and had a very lovely bit of sleep on the benches before it began to get light. It appears that part of the ground floor may still be used by the museum, located to the north of the building.
External view, with the museum section on the left
The courtroom
Magistrates' room
Spiral staircase at the corner of the magistrates' room
There wasn't much to see on the second floor
Old cells on the ground floor
One of the un-modernized cells
Thanks for looking
Built at a cost of £4000, Tavistock guildhall was opened on 5th October 1848 and is one of the earliest surviving purpose built combined police station and courthouse in England. The building was paid for by the dukes of Bedford using their wealth generated by the mines in the local area. The building was listed in 1952 and later upgraded to grade 2*, reflecting their historical importance. The guildhall has been disused since 2000 with the police station moving to new premises in 2013. The building has received heritage lottery funding and work is soon due to begin to restoration, run by the Tavistock Heritage Trust.
The explore
Visited with @AndyK and @SpiderMonkey. Access was a bit of a struggle but it was worth it and had a very lovely bit of sleep on the benches before it began to get light. It appears that part of the ground floor may still be used by the museum, located to the north of the building.
External view, with the museum section on the left
The courtroom
Magistrates' room
Spiral staircase at the corner of the magistrates' room
There wasn't much to see on the second floor
Old cells on the ground floor
One of the un-modernized cells
Thanks for looking
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