There are not many town-halls of this period to be found. Civic life did not express itself in concrete form in nearly so pronounced a manner as, for instance, in the Low Countries during the period under consideration, and as it is doing at home at the present day. The most striking example of a town-hall of the time is the picturesque Guildhall at Exeter, which has a richly-ornamented front projecting over the pavement and carried on arches. But there were a great many market-houses built. The finest of these, so far as design and workmanship go, is the well-known Market-house at Rothwell, presented to the town about the year 1577 by a neighbouring squire, Sir Thomas Tresham, but left unfinished owing to the donor being harassed on account of his zeal as a Roman Catholic. Like most market-houses, this building was to have consisted of an open market-hall on the ground floor, with a room over it. There is a good example on a larger scale at Shrewsbury (Fig. 194), substantially built in stone, with mullioned windows and an ornamental parapet. The ground floor serves as a covered market, and the upper floor is carried on open arches. At Wymondham, in Norfolk, is a smaller specimen (dated 1617), serving the same purposes, but it is built of timber and plaster (Fig. 195). The upper floor stands on stout posts and brackets, set some two feet within the outside face, and is approached by a quaint wooden staircase. There is a one-storey market-house at Chipping Campden (Fig. 196), built of stone, with arches on each side; the five down the long side are supported on pillars, and have a gable over every alternate arch, while the two at each end are divided by a short length of wall and have a gable over each, thus securing a pleasant variation of treatment: the detail throughout is quite plain. There were also a few market and village crosses erected at this time, but there are not many examples to be found: one of the best is at Brigstock, in Northamptonshire (Plate LXXX.), where its situation in an open space, and backed by stone-built and thatched cottages, renders it a quaint and pleasant feature. The shields at the top bear alternately the royal arms and Elizabeth's initials, E. R., with the date 1586. [Illustration: PLATE LXXX. VILLAGE CROSS, BRIGSTOCK, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE (1586).] [Illustration: 197.--SCHOOL AT BURTON LATIMER, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE (1622).]