Borough Hall, Bedford

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Borough Hall, Bedford
CountyHallRearBedford.JPG
Borough Hall
Bedfordshire UK location map.svg
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Borough Hall
Location within Bedfordshire
General information
Architectural style Brutalist style
Address Bedford, Bedfordshire
Country United Kingdom
Coordinates 52°07′57″N0°28′12″W / 52.1325°N 0.4701°W / 52.1325; -0.4701 Coordinates: 52°07′57″N0°28′12″W / 52.1325°N 0.4701°W / 52.1325; -0.4701
Completed1969
Design and construction
Architect(s)Douglas Chalk

Borough Hall, formerly County Hall, is a municipal building in Cauldwell Street, Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. It is the headquarters of Bedford Borough Council.

History

For much of the 20th century the Shire Hall in Bedford was the local facility for dispensing justice and the meeting place of Bedfordshire County Council. [1] After deciding the old shire hall was inadequate for their needs, county leaders chose to procure a new county headquarters: the site selected on the south bank of the River Great Ouse had previously been used as a recreation ground. [2]

Construction of the new building, which was undertaken by Arthur Sanders Limited of Rushden, started in 1965. [3] The new building was designed by the Deputy County Architect, Douglas Chalk, [4] in the brutalist style and the design work was overseen by County Architect, John Barker. [3] The design involved a reinforced concrete-framed structure with an asymmetrical main frontage facing Cauldwell Street which curved round on the left side down to the river; there was a canopied main entrance on the ground floor and there were exposed concrete beams above and below a continuous band of glazing on each of the six floors. [5] Construction challenges with the reinforced concrete [6] meant that the building was not completed until November 1969. [7] [8] It was officially opened as "County Hall" by the Duchess of Kent on 12 October 1970. [9] Internally, the principal rooms were the council chamber and the committee rooms. [10]

Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, visited County Hall, before departing to open new facilities at Bedford Modern School, on 11 May 1976. [11] [12] After Bedfordshire County Council was abolished in April 2009, [13] the building became known as "Borough Hall" and formed the headquarters of Bedford Borough Council. [14]

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References

  1. ↑ Historic England. "Shire Hall, Bedford (1114519)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  2. ↑ "Ordnance Survey Map". 1960. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Bedfordshire Historic Buildings and Monuments" (PDF). Bedford Borough Council. p. 14. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  4. ↑ Bedfordshire County Council, Creative Services (2009). Bedfordshire County Council: Our County Past, Present and Future – Official Commemorative Book 120 Years 1889-2009. Bedford: Bedfordshire County Council. p. 23.
  5. ↑ "View of Borough Hall / County Hall, Bedford, UK. An example of 1970s Brutalist Architecture". Alamy. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  6. ↑ "Bedford: Yesterdays News". Bedford Borough & Central Bedfordshire Virtual Library. 1966. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  7. ↑ "Borough Hall should be historically listed, says councillor". Bedford Today. 7 April 2016. Archived from the original on 31 August 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  8. ↑ "Bedfordshire County Council". Bedfordshire Archives. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  9. ↑ Threadgill, Q.R. (1978). A Bedfordshire Bibliography (PDF). Bedfordshire Historical Record Society. p. 10. ISBN   0-851550398.
  10. ↑ "Normal rules suspended as coronavirus crisis forces Bedford planning decisions to be made behind closed doors". Bedford Today. 24 March 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  11. ↑ "Bedford: Yesterdays News". Bedford Borough & Central Bedfordshire Virtual Library. 1976. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  12. ↑ "The Royal Visit". Bedford School. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  13. ↑ "News from the Archives and Records Service". Bedfordshire Archives. 22 June 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  14. ↑ "County council to be abolished in shake-up". Bedford Today. 6 March 2008. Archived from the original on 31 August 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
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