Bull Court House

Bull Court House, Bull Court, Barnstaple, Devon, EX31 1AS

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1385076
Date first listed:: 31-Aug-1988
List Entry Name:: Bull Court House
Statutory Address:: Bull Court House, Bull Court, Barnstaple, Devon, EX31 1AS

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Date:: 2004-07-25
Reference:: IOE01/12635/31
Rights:: © Dr Ann Allen. Source: Historic England Archive

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1385076
Date first listed:: 31-Aug-1988
Date of most recent amendment:: 18-Dec-2023
List Entry Name:: Bull Court House
Statutory Address 1:: Bull Court House, Bull Court, Barnstaple, Devon, EX31 1AS

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:: Bull Court House, Bull Court, Barnstaple, Devon, EX31 1AS

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County:: Devon
District:: North Devon (District Authority)
Parish:: Barnstaple
National Grid Reference:: SS5585233372

Summary

Residential apartments, formerly a fellmonger’s premises, constructed around 1867 and converted in the early C21. The extension to north (Bowden House) is not included in the List entry.

Reasons for Designation

Bull Court House, a former fellmonger's warehouse constructed in around 1867, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* despite alterations, the building retains sufficient historic fabric to identify its historic use as a warehouse.

Historic interest: * as possibly the last-surviving example of a building serving a once-thriving trade in Barnstaple.

History

Located on the line of Barnstaple’s medieval town walls, the site of Bull Court House is shown on the 1841 Tithe map as being owned by ‘Ballment’. Bull Court House was described by Gardiner (see Sources) as a fellmonger’s warehouse or premises constructed in around 1867 by Mr H Balment. The premises were later sold to the Barnstaple Bridge Trust and put into a different use.

The building is first shown on the 1890 Ordnance Survey (OS) map where it is depicted as being attached to a building to the south on Joy Street by a small extension. Other buildings, including a smithy, are shown built up against its east and west elevations. By the time of the 1904 OS map two buildings orientated north-south had been added at either end of the north elevation. The 1957 OS map shows that the building had been extended to the west, but by 1964 had returned to its historic footprint and was in use as a ‘works’. By 1978 the north-east extension had been divided into four smaller units, and the majority of the surrounding buildings had been demolished. The units were replaced with the current extension in 1988 (not included in the List entry), and the warehouse was converted into residential apartments in around 2001.

Details

Residential apartments, formerly a fellmonger’s premises, constructed around 1867 and converted in the early C21. The extension to north (Bowden House) is not included in the List entry.

MATERIALS: red brick and timber weatherboarded walls, slate roof.

PLAN: rectangular in plan and orientated east to west.

EXTERIOR: Bull Court House is of three storeys, with three bays east to west defined by red-brick piers with C20 horizontal timber-weatherboarding between. Between each storey the brick piers have a protruding brick band. The north elevation faces onto a courtyard set-back from Bull Court; the ground floor comprises C20 entrances to the apartments with a through carriageway to the right, above which is a C20 timber weatherboarded balcony. The first floor has two sets of C20 French doors onto the balcony with C20 timber casements above to the second floor. The east and west elevations are one bay wide, blind, with rendered stonework to the ground floor on the west side. The south elevation has C20 casements to the upper storey.

INTERIOR: Bull Court House was converted into apartments in the early C21; some of the roof structure appears to survive, but otherwise there are few internal features of interest visible.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:: 485537
Legacy System:: LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Gardiner, W F , Barnstaple 1837-1897, (1897), 86-87
Websites
Rightmove, Bull Court House sales particulars, accessed 26/10/2023 from https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/135292256#/?channel=RES_BUY
Other
Tithe map, Barnstaple Town, 1841

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.

The listed building is shown coloured blue on the attached map. Pursuant to s1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (‘the Act’) structures attached to or within the curtilage of the listed building but not coloured blue on the map, are not to be treated as part of the listed building for the purposes of the Act. However, any works to these structures which have the potential to affect the character of the listed building as a building of special architectural or historic interest may still require Listed Building Consent (LBC) and this is a matter for the Local Planning Authority (LPA) to determine.