Decorated Plaster Ceilings in Totnes
Totnes Museum, 70 Fore Street, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 5RU
The Museum archive has photographs of some of the decorated ceilings in the upstairs rooms of these merchants' houses which are not usually on display in the Museum. Decorated ceilings were a status symbol indicative of the wealth of the merchants who owned the houses in the 16th and 17th centuries and were often illuminated and visible from the street below. Several of these ceilings survive today, but most are in private houses so access to them is limited (though you can sometimes see a glimpse if you look up as you walk through the town). The Museum's display is an opportunity to see this fine plasterwork up close and appreciate the skill involved.
Totnes Museum, 70 Fore Street, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 5RU
The Museum is only wheelchair accessible on the ground floor. There is no parking or toilet facilities but there are toilets close by and car parks in town. Fore street is on a hill! Dogs are allowed downstairs.
The Museum is a restored Elizabethan house which has three floors and a herb garden at the back - all of which are open to the public. It's in the centre of Totnes which is a busy, small town with a great selection of shops and cafes, a Tuesday Elizabethan market, and Friday and Saturday markets too. There's also a Castle, Costume Museum and historic Guildhall.