For so long the focus of Plympton's civic life, the Guildhall is centrally placed in Fore Street. There has been a Guildhall here since the thirteenth century. The date of the present building, 1688, can be seen above the granite columns, with the arms of the two most important families of the period, the Trebys and the Trevors. The main hall was rebuilt in 1862, but the pillared arcade and council chamber above remain unchanged. Unfortunately, in 1979 the hall, was re-roofed in asbestos tiles in spite of the availability of old slates which would have been in keeping with the roof of the council chamber.  

 

At one time the Guildhall was used as a court of law. From 1692 the mayor was empowered to hold a Civil Court every Monday here. There were two cells, stocks, and there was a ducking stool by the moat. Inside the present building hang a number of portraits of local Councillors dating back to the seventeenth century, and there are some old prints of the town. In the council chamber upstairs, where Sir Joshua Reynolds presided as mayor, there are two large refectory tables. If you wish to look inside the Guildhall, permission must be obtained from the Civic Centre, Plymouth.