Corn Exchange, Rochford

Corn Exchange, Rochford
Corn Exchange, Rochford
Location	West Street, Rochford
Coordinates	51°34′56″N0°42′22″E / 51.5821°N 0.7061°E / 51.5821; 0.7061
Built	1866
Architect	Frederic Chancellor
Architectural style(s)	Italianate style
Listed Building – Grade II
Official name	Women's Institute Hall (formerly the Corn Exchange)
Designated	13 January 1988
Reference no.	1168355
Shown in Essex

The Corn Exchange, also known as the Women's Institute Hall, is a commercial building in West Street in Rochford, Essex, England. The structure, which is now used by the local branch of the Women's Institute, is a Grade II listed building. ^[1]

History

In 1865, a group of local businessmen decided to form a company, to be known as the "Rochford Corn Exchange Company", to finance and commission a purpose-built corn exchange for the town. ^{[2] [3]} The site they selected, on the south side of West Street, had been occupied by the Vernon's Head Inn. ^[4]

The new building was designed by Frederic Chancellor in the Italianate style, built in yellow brick and was completed in 1866. ^{[5] [6] [7]} The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of three bays facing onto West Street. The central bay featured a round headed opening containing a double door with an ornate wrought iron grille in the tympanum flanked by pilasters with foliate capitals and surmounted by voussoirs. The outer bays were fenestrated by round headed sash windows which were also flanked by pilasters and surmounted by voussoirs. There was a gable above which featured a raised apex containing a circular panel within a brick arch. ^[1]

The use of the building as a corn exchange declined significantly in the wake of the Great Depression of British Agriculture in the late 19th century. ^[8] However, it continued to be used for public meetings. It was the venue for the meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Essex on 20 July 1875, ^{[9] [10]} and the venue for a public meeting, at which Arthur Stride, the general manager of the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway, presented proposals for a new Shenfield–Southend line, in March 1883. ^[11]

A projecting clock, intended to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, was installed in the gable in 1897. During the First World War, the building was acquired by Augusta Tawke of Bullwood Hall, who initially used it as a laundry before letting it out as a garage and repair shop. Tawke sold the building to a Miss Meeson, founder of the Rochford branch of the Women's Institute in 1924. Meeson allowed it be used as a canning factory for locally produced jam during the Second World War. It was subsequently used as a community events venue hosting farmers' markets, boxing matches, and Women's Institute meetings. ^[12] An extensive refurbishment of the roof of the building was completed in September 2016. ^[13]

See also

• Corn exchanges in England

References

1. Historic England. "Womens Institute Hall (formerly the Corn Exchange) (1168355)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 24 July 2023.
2. Report of the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies. House of Commons. 20 July 1866. p. 51.
3. The Essex Almanack and County Handbook. 1866. p. 127.
4. Benton, Philip (1888). The History of Rochford Hundred From Former Authors, Ancient Manuscripts and Church Registers, Treating Upon Various Subjects, Including Notices of Churches and Chapels, the Clergy, Biography and Genealogy of Families and Other Matters. Vol. 2. A. Harrington. p. 903.
5. Benton, Philip (1888). Benton (1888). p. 897.
6. Bettley, J.; Pevsner, N. (2007). The Buildings of England Series: Essex. Yale University Press. p. 648. ISBN   978-0300116144.
7. "Rochford Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan" (PDF). Rochford District Council. 1 May 2007. p. 56. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
8. Fletcher, T. W. (1973). 'The Great Depression of English Agriculture 1873-1896' in British Agriculture 1875-1914. London: Methuen. p. 31. ISBN   978-1136581182.
9. "Diary for the Week". The Freemason's Chronicle. 17 July 1875. p. 44.
10. "Provincial Grand Lodge of Essex". The Freemason and Masonic Illustrated. A Weekly Record of Progress in Freemasonry. Vol. 8. 1875. p. 338.
11. Phillips, Charles (2019). The Great Eastern Railway in South Essex A Definitive History. Pen and Sword Books. ISBN   978-1526720597.
12. Casey, Debbie (2017). "Women's Institute Hall". Rochford Town. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
13. "Refurbishments at Rochford's WI Hall celebrated by council". Basildon Canvey Southend Echo. 20 September 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2023.