| Corn Exchange, Stamford | |
|---|---|
 Corn Exchange, Stamford | |
| Location | Broad Street, Stamford |
| Coordinates | 52°39′11″N0°28′44″W / 52.6531°N 0.4789°W |
| Built | 1859 |
| Architect | Edward Browning |
| Architectural style(s) | Tudor Gothic style |
  Shown in Lincolnshire | |
The Corn Exchange is a commercial building in Broad Street, Stamford, Lincolnshire, England. The structure was refurbished between 2001 and 2008 and is now used as a theatre.
After King Edgar awarded the right to hold markets to the town in the year 972, trading in corn, cattle and vegetables centred on Broad Street. [1] The market benefited from a modest stone covering, designed by the Rev. Henry de Foe Baker, which was erected on the north side of the street, adjacent to Browne's Hospital, in 1839. [2] In the mid-19th century, a group of local businessmen decided to form a private company, known as the "Stamford Corn Market Company", to finance and commission a purpose-built corn exchange for the town. [3] The site they selected, on the opposite side of the street, had been occupied by the Black Swan Inn. [4]
The new building was designed by Edward Browning in the Tudor Gothic style, built by Henry Bradshaw in ashlar stone and was officially opened on 28 January 1859. [5] The original design involved a symmetrical main frontage of three bays facing onto Broad Street. The central bay, which was slightly projected forward, featured three small arched windows with voussoirs on the ground floor, and a prominent mullioned and transomed window, formed by fifteen arched lights in three tiers, on the first floor. The outer bays contained arched openings, flanked by short columns supporting archivolts and surmounted by hood moulds; there were mullioned and transomed windows, formed by four arched lights in two tiers, on the first floor. Above the arched ground-floor openings, there were oblong panels with carvings depicting a plough and a wheatsheaf, and above the first-floor windows, there were round headed panels with carvings depicting the royal cypher of Queen Victoria and the town coat of arms. At roof level, there was a modillioned cornice and a parapet. Internally, the principal room was the main hall which was 93 feet (28 m) long and 40 feet (12 m) wide. [4]
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. [6] It briefly became the New Palace of Varieties in 1913 before closing for the duration of the First World War. After the war it became the Electric Cinema and then the Picture House. [7]
After the interior of the building was badly damaged in a fire in March 1925, the structure was rebuilt behind the original façade to a design by Traylen and Lenton. [7] It was used as a cinema until 1956, and then operated as a dance hall, a theatre, a roller skating rink, an auction house and, latterly, as an antiques market. It was acquired by a newly formed charity, the Corn Exchange Theatre Company, in 2001 and was extensively refurbished at a cost of £1 million between 2003 and 2008 to create a modern auditorium with raked seating. [8] The facade was restored to its original design in 2015. [9] Subsequent performers have included the singer-songwriter, Shaun Ryder, in February 2022, [10] the columnist, Katie Hopkins, in May 2023, [11] and the comedian, Jasper Carrott, in June 2023. [12]
Stamford is a town and civil parish in the South Kesteven District of Lincolnshire, England. The population at the 2011 census was 19,701 and estimated at 20,645 in 2019. The town has 17th- and 18th-century stone buildings, older timber-framed buildings and five medieval parish churches. It is a frequent film location. In 2013 it was rated a top place to live in a survey by The Sunday Times. Its name has been passed on to Stamford, Connecticut, founded in 1641.
The Corn Exchange is an events and concert venue located on Wheeler Street in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England. The structure, which was commissioned as a corn exchange, is a Grade II listed building.
The Hazlitt Theatre and Exchange Studio, also known as the Hazlitt Arts Centre, is a theatre complex in Earl Street in Maidstone, Kent, England. The oldest part of the complex, which is now used as a shopping complex on the ground floor, and as a theatre venue known as the "Exchange Studio" on the first floor, is a Grade II listed building.
The Old Market Hall is an Elizabethan building situated in the town centre of Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England. It is a Grade I listed building.
Leicester Corn Exchange is a commercial building in the Market Place in Leicester, Leicestershire, England. The structure, which currently operates as a public house, is a grade II* listed building.
William Adams Nicholson (1803–1853) was an English architect who worked in Lincoln and was a founding member of the Royal Institute of British Architects.
Bellamy and Hardy was an architectural practice in Lincoln, England, that specialised particularly in the design of public buildings and non-conformist chapels. Pearson Bellamy had established his own architectural practice by 1845 and he entered into a partnership with James Spence Hardy in June 1853. Both partners had previously worked for the Lincoln architect William Adams Nicholson. Hardy was described as "Chief Clerk" to Nicholson. Hardy joined Pearson Bellamy immediately after the sudden death of Nicholson. As all known architectural drawings by the practice are signed Pearson Bellamy, it is likely that Bellamy was the architect and Hardy was the administrator in the practice. The partnership lasted until 1887. Bellamy continued to practise until 1896.
Edward Browning was an English architect working in Stamford.
Traylen and Lenton was an architectural practice in Stamford, Lincolnshire. The practice had offices at 16 Broad Street, Stamford and were the successors to a line of architects working in Stamford, starting in the 1830s with Bryan Browning and continued by his son Edward Browning. The Brownings' practice was purchased by John Charles Traylen in 1888. Henry Francis Traylen became a partner in the practice and sole proprietor after his father's death in 1907. Frederick James Lenton worked as his assistant from 1908 until he became a partner in the practice with Traylen in 1921/2. The partnership had offices in Newark, Grantham and Peterborough, as well as Stamford.
Corn exchanges are distinct buildings which were originally created as a venue for corn merchants to meet and arrange pricing with farmers for the sale of wheat, barley, and other corn crops. The word "corn" in British English denotes all cereal grains, such as wheat and barley. With the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846, a large number of corn exchanges were built in England, particularly in the corn-growing areas of Eastern England.
Bourne Town Hall is a municipal building in North Street, Bourne, Lincolnshire, England. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Bourne Urban District Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Spalding Sessions House is a judicial structure in the Sheep Market in Spalding, Lincolnshire, England. The structure, which used to be the main courthouse for the south of Parts of Holland, is a Grade II listed building.
The Sessions House, also known as Sleaford Town Hall, is a judicial structure in the Market Place, Sleaford, Lincolnshire, England. The structure, which used to be the main courthouse for the county of Kesteven, is a Grade II* listed building.
The Corn Exchange is a commercial building in the St Catherine Street, Cupar, Fife, Scotland. The structure, which is now used as a community events venue, is a Category B listed building.
The Corn Exchange is a commercial building in the High Street, Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland. The structure, which is now used as a museum, is a Category A listed building.
The Corn Exchange is a commercial building in Woodmarket, Kelso, Scottish Borders, Scotland. The structure, which accommodates a health clinic, a dental practice and an online publisher, is a Category B listed building.
The Corn Exchange is a commercial building in Conduit Street, Lichfield, Staffordshire, England. The structure, which is used as a series of shops on the ground floor and as a restaurant on the first floor, is a Grade II listed building.
Westgate Hall is a commercial building in Westgate, Grantham, Lincolnshire, England. The structure, which was last used as a nightclub, is a Grade II listed building.
The Corn Exchange is a commercial building in Sincil Street, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England. The structure, which is now used as a restaurant and shops, is a Grade II listed building.
The Corn Exchange and Fire Station is a commercial complex in George Street in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England. The structure is now occupied by an arts charity, Arts at the Old Fire Station, and a homelessness charity, Crisis Skylight Oxford.