Queen Anne's Walk (formerly The Mercantile Exchange) is a grade I listed building in the town of Barnstaple, North Devon, completed in 1713 as a meeting place for the town's merchants. It is believed to have been designed by the architect William Talman, on the basis of its similarity to his work at the Hall in Drayton, Northamptonshire. It was promoted and financed by the thirteen members of the Corporation of Barnstaple whose armorials are sculpted on and above the parapet, and the work was overseen by Robert Incledon (1676–1758), Mayor of Barnstaple in 1712–13. It has been owned for many decades by North Devon District Council, which currently (2014) leases it to Barnstaple Town Council, and now trades as The Cafe on the Strand.
Location and function The building is situated at the bottom of Cross Street on the bank of the River Taw, and looked onto Barnstaple Quay, ("New Quay" after the 1870s), (now filled in) at which most of the sea-trade of the formerly important port of Barnstaple would arrive and depart. Here cargoes shipped from around the world, including notably tobacco from the North American colonies, would arrive and be sold to awaiting Barnstaple merchants, who were accustomed to seal deals by touching the 17th century so-called Tome Stone, a low stone circular bargaining table, with inscriptions around the rim of the names of three leading merchants, including Delbridge. In 1909 the Tome stone was moved to beneath the colonnade.
Description It consists of a low single-storey building fronted by a white Beer stone colonnade of ten bays, five to the left of the central bay supporting a statue of Queen Anne and four to the right. Above the columns and wrapping around the east side by one bay, is a parapet decorated with relief sculpted garlanded heraldic escutcheons, one per bay, showing the arms of eleven leading aristocratic, gentry and mercantile families of North Devon, with the arms of the Borough of Barnstaple forming a twelfth.
Construction
Supervision It was completed in 1713 under the supervision of Robert Incledon (1676–1758), who in 1746 built Pilton House adjoining Barnstaple, a lawyer of New Inn, London, a Clerk of the Peace for Devon, Deputy Recorder of Barnstaple and twice Mayor of Barnstaple, in 1712 and 1721. In 1713 as mayor he supervised the building of the Mercantile Exchange as is recorded on the east parapet of the building by a contemporary brass plaque inscribed in Latin as follows:
Faciendum curavit Robertus Incledon Generosus Oppidi Praefectus Anno Christi MDCCXIII ("Robert Incledon, Esquire, Prefect (i.e. Mayor) of this town, supervised the making. 1713") Above is a sculpted escutcheon with his armorials: Argent, a chevron engrailed between three tuns sable fire issuing from the bung hole proper. (The ancient building known as the "Three Tuns Inn" on the west side of Barnstaple High Street is in 2015 now the Pizza Express restaurant). Above is a plumed helm placed on a fasces, part of an antique trophy of arms. He was the younger brother of Henry Incledon (1671–1736) of Buckland House, Braunton, whose arms are shown on the front (south) parapet, a son-in-law of the merchant John Davie (d.1710), whose arms are also shown on the front parapet. Robert's first wife was Mary Lethbridge (d.1709), daughter of Christopher Lethbridge (d.1713) of Westaway House, Pilton, (whose "big and sumptuous" mural monument survives in Pilton Church,) whose arms are also shown on the front (south) parapet.
Financing It was financed by the Corporation of Barnstaple, as the surviving contemporary inscribed brass tablet beneath the sculpted arms of that corporation records:
"Haec porticus corporis politici de Barum sumptibus restaurata est. Opus tam decorum & utile munificentia promoverunt idemq(ue) suis insigniis ornarunt viri ipsi ornatissimi & honorabiles" ("This colonnade was re-erected by the expense of the body politic (i.e. corporation) of Barnstaple. By their munificence men themselves honourable and most illustrious promoted this work so decorous and useful and decorated the same with their insignia")
Queen Anne's statue
In 1708 Robert Rolle (c. 1677–1710) of Stevenstone, near Great Torrington in Devon, donated to the Corporation of Barnstaple, Devon, a large stone statue of Queen Anne, the victorious monarch of the recent Battle of Blenheim in 1704. He was a Tory MP for Callington (twice in 1701) (a pocket borough of the Rolle family) and for Devon (1702–1710). Underneath the statue, possibly intended to be free-standing and not on top of this building, is its original base, now seated somewhat incongruously above the Royal Arms. On the base is an escutcheon showing a cartouche with the arms of Rolle (Or, on a fesse dancetté between three billets azure each charged with a lion rampant of the first three bezants), now much worn, above which is the Rolle crest: A cubit arm erect vested or charged with a fess indented cotised azure in the hand a roll of parchment. On either side of the Rolle arms is a seated naked, disheveled and shackled French prisoner of war, behind whom is a centrally placed antique trophy of arms consisting of captured French weapons (two canon, muskets, a club, a halberd and a helmet etc.) and two lowered French standards on either side. The imagery is reminiscent of the sculptures of two French captives atop the central pediment of Blenheim Palace, built for the Duke of Marlborough, the victorious English commander at that battle. The original source for both is imagery from the classical world, as visible for example on Roman coins. On each side of the base of the statue of Queen Anne is an escutcheon showing the arms of Rolle impaling Duke, the arms of his wife. Immediately below the feet of the Queen is a tablet on which is inscribed the following Latin text:
"Anna, Intemeratae fidei testimonium Roberti Rolle de Stephenstone in agro Devoniensi Armigeri MDCCVIII" ("Anne, a testament of the undefiled faith of Robert Rolle, Esquire, of Stevenstone in the land of Devonshire, 1708") The inscription was transcribed by the Devon topographer Rev. John Swete (d. 1821) in his "Journals". On the sides of the base of the statue are identical heraldic escutcheons showing the arms of Robert Rolle impaling the arms of Duke, Per fesse argent and azure, three chaplets counterchanged, for his wife Elizabeth Duke (d. 1716), daughter of Richard Duke (1652–1733), MP, of Otterton, Devon.
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