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Penrose's Almshouses

Almshouses in DevonBarnstapleBuildings and structures in BarnstapleGrade I listed almshouses
PenroseAlmshouses Barnstaple
PenroseAlmshouses Barnstaple

Penrose's Almshouses are 17th-century almshouses in Litchdon Street, Barnstaple, in Devon, England, built in memory of John Penrose (1575–1624), a merchant and Mayor of Barnstaple. They have been a Grade I listed building since 1951.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Penrose's Almshouses (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Penrose's Almshouses
Litchdon Street, North Devon Fort Hill

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N 51.07699 ° E -4.0562 °
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Litchdon Street 20
EX32 8ND North Devon, Fort Hill
England, United Kingdom
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PenroseAlmshouses Barnstaple
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Albert Clock, Barnstaple
Albert Clock, Barnstaple

The Albert Clock is a clocktower memorial in Barnstaple in Devon to Albert, Prince Consort, the husband of Queen Victoria. It has been listed Grade II on the National Heritage List for England since 1988. Located in The Square in Barnstaple, the tower was built in 1862 at the suggestion of the then Mayor of Barnstaple, John Norrington, following the death of Prince Albert in the previous year. The tower was paid for by public subscription with some of the money being raised for the provision of a drinking fountain. The original design was for a tower without a clock.At its solemn dedication ceremony in 1862 surrounded by local dignitaries the clock's pendulum was set to swing at 11.00 p.m., the hour Prince Albert had died. At the same time the water started to flow from the fountain. As Mayor Norrington, a teetotaller, stepped forward to take the first drink from the fountain a man threw a cupful of what was found to be gin into the water. Norrington was outraged at this indignity to himself, to the Queen and to the memory of Prince Albert. An investigation revealed that the mystery man was John Baker, the landlord of the Mermaid Inn and a local Tory councillor.Designed by local architect Richard Davie Gould (c1816-1900), the tower is constructed with limestone ashlar with dressings of Devon marble and sandstone together with other local stones and patterned tiles. The tower has an octagonal shaft on a broader octagonal base surmounted with a square and corbelled clock chamber with a clock-dial in each face. The summit consists of a small belfry with a leaded spire and weather-vane. The bell is still inside.The tower's base has a stair doorway on the South side, while on the North side is a water-trough. At the back of the recess is a panel of coloured tiles with a coat of arms in white marble above it. The drinking fountain, given by Sir William Fraser, MP, has been removed. On the East and West sides are pointed arches of moulded red sandstone with above an arch of different coloured local stones. Within the arches are commemorative marble plaques to Prince Albert.The Albert Clock Tower was restored in 2009 with funding from Barnstaple Town Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Queen's Theatre, Barnstaple
Queen's Theatre, Barnstaple

The Queen's Theatre is a theatre in Barnstaple, North Devon, England. It assumed its current form in 1993, but the history of theatre in Barnstaple can be traced back to at least 1435, when minstrels, players, jugglers and buffoons were an established feature of Barnstaple's annual fair. Documents indicate that in 1605 a touring troupe, the King's Players visited, and it is believed that William Shakespeare was one of their members.John Gay, a renowned contributor in the theatre world, best known for the 'Beggar's Opera' was born in Barnstaple. Barnstaple's first theatre was built in Honey Pot Lane (now Theatre Lane) in 1760. By 1832, it had become 'ruinous' and was forced to close. A new theatre, 'The Grecian Hall', opened in 1834. Renamed 'The Theatre Royal' around 1860, it regularly staged popular musicals and musical comedies. By 1880 this too had closed, although performances continued at a large room above the Corn Market (the site of the present theatre) which had served as a music hall since 1854. The 'Theatre Royal' re-opened in 1893 and the music hall, now the 'Albert Hall', in 1897. The two venues operated successfully until just prior to World War I, when the 'Theatre Royal' was demolished. The Albert Hall continued providing musical entertainment until 1941, when it was destroyed by fire, probably from a discarded cigarette. In 1952 the hall was rebuilt (only the outer walls had survived the fire) as The Queen's Hall. Although with a plain and functional interior, it served the Barnstaple community, for a variety of purposes of live entertainment, antique markets, dog shows and similar functions for over forty years. In 1993 the local council decided to fully refurbish the building, reopening as The Queens Theatre. The first production in the new facilities - the pantomime Snow White - opened on Christmas Eve that year. In the summer of 2013 the theatre closed for major backstage refurbishment including a 23 line electric flying system (moving from 17 lines of three line hemp) and an electric orchestra pit. There were also minor improvements for access. The theatre reopened on 14 September. This theatre, along with The Landmark, Ilfracombe is managed by The North Devon Theatres' Trust, a registered charity promoting the arts (including dance, drama, literature, music and singing) in North Devon. On Monday 23 January 2017, it was announced that North Devon Theatres Trust which owns this theatre and The Landmark Theatre in Ilfracombe, had gone into administration. The theatre was bought out of administration and is now run by Parkwood Theatres. The shows started again on 31 May 2017. On Friday 23 November 2018, it was announced that Selladoor Worldwide had been awarded a 10 Year Contract to manage the venue.