MEM22742 - New Lynmouth Pavilion (Building)

The Lynmouth Pavillion was built in the 1930s by Linton Urban District Council to serve as a seaside theatre and public shelter. It was designed by A. J. Gibbs in 1931. The pavillions were one of the buildings to survive the Lymouth Flood Diaster in 1952. The pavillions are designed in a 19th century chalet style and has a relatively plain interior. The building was declined listed building status in 1992 and again in 2008 as it was considered a late and unsophisticated example of it's genre. It is old-fashioned in design and lacks a strong decorative scheme, such as contemporary moderne or art-deco motifs, seen on other seaside pavillions of the period. [1] The building is two storeyed, with the ground floor accessed from the esplanade and the first floor accessed from a yard at the rear of the building. The esplanade frontage was originally open with a central column creating two wide entrances. The ground floor reflects the reuse of the building; it originally consisted of a large open space but has subsequently been subdivided into smaller rooms. The first floor consists of a large “multi-use/theatre space”. The ground floor was probably originally used as a waiting room for steam ferries from the nearby harbour. The first floor had a stage (since demolished) at the rear and a lighting box in the roof space, the auditorium had no fixed seating. There is a single, numbered, possibly original seat in storage in the former lighting box. [3] The Pavilion fronting the Esplanade is probably early 20th Century with seaside character, including much glazing a first floor balcony with iron balustrade and columns with modillion cornice, and to the ground floor flat Tuscan columns with inset panels. At the time of survey (early 2003) it appeared to be in some need of being given a more inviting appearance that nevertheless respects its historic integrity. [4] English Heritage considered a Listing request for the Pavilion building in September 2008 but it was decided that the building did not merit listing. [5] The Pavilion was demolished in 2012 and has been replaced by a similarly styled building on the same footprint. [6] The 2018 Conservation Area Appraisal for Lynmouth includes a photograph of the new pavilion being constructed in 2013. [7]