Grampound Town Hall

Grampound Town Hall
Grampound Town Hall
Location	Fore Street, Grampound
Coordinates	50°17′54″N4°53′59″W / 50.2984°N 4.8996°W / 50.2984; -4.8996
Built	1614 (reconstructed early 18th century)
Architectural style(s)	Neoclassical style
Listed Building – Grade II
Official name	Town Hall and Clock Tower
Designated	7 January 1952
Reference no.	1144042
Shown in Cornwall

Grampound Town Hall is a municipal building in Fore Street, Grampound, Cornwall, England. The structure, which now accommodates a heritage centre, is a Grade II listed building. ^[1]

History

The town hall was designed in the neoclassical style, built in rubble masonry and, in its earliest form, dates to 1614. ^[2] It was originally open on the ground floor, so markets could be held, with four large pillars supporting the assembly room on the first floor. ^[3] Although elements of the original structure have survived, including the 17th century ceiling in the assembly room, ^[2] the building was substantially reconstructed in the early 18th century, ^[4]

A school was established in the town hall by the Buller family of Morval House in the late 18th century. ^[5] The right of the borough council to elect members of parliament was removed, due to widespread corruption, in 1821, ^[6] and the borough council, which had not met for many years, was abolished under the Municipal Corporations Act 1883. ^[7]

The building was reconstructed again, with the ground floor becoming fully enclosed, in 1894. The design then involved an asymmetrical main frontage of four bays facing onto Fore Street. The end bays contained doorways with timber lintels, while the two central bays were fenestrated with cross windows on both floors with small gables above. A small clock tower, faced in slate and surmounted by a cupola and a weather vane, was installed at the left-hand end of the building. The clock was designed and manufactured by J. Smith and Sons at the Midland Steam Clock Works in Derby and presented to the parish by the Rev. Charles Henry Gerald Vivian of Creed Rectory. ^[8] The assembly room subsequently became the meeting place of Grampound with Creed Parish Council. ^[3]

A stone plaque, intended to commemorate the lives of local service personnel who had died in the First World War, was installed on the west end of the town hall in the 1920s, ^[9] and an oval-shaped green plaque was installed on the west end of the town hall to recognise Grampound being named Calor Village of the Year for West England in 2007/8. ^[10]

A small museum, the Grampound with Creed Heritage Centre, was established in the town hall in 2008. ^[11] Artefacts accessioned included the old council minute books, ^[12] as well as a series of photographs, with online access provided. ^[13] The southeast corner of the town hall was badly damaged when it was hit by a car in December 2022. ^{[14] [15] [16]} The building was subsequently repaired with matching stone work and re-opened in March 2024. ^[17]

References

1. Historic England. "Town Hall and Clock Tower (1144042)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 3 September 2023.
2. "Grampound repair works could take months after Christmas Eve crash". Cornwall Live. 30 December 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
3. "A walk near the ancient township of Grampound Grampound with Creed with Creed" (PDF). Grampound with Creed Parish Council. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
4. "A Brief History of Grampound". Grampound with Creed Parish Council. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
5. A Digest of Parochial Returns made to the Select Committee appointed to inquire into the education of the poor. House of Commons. 1 April 1819. p. 101.
6. Remarks on Lord John Russell's Bill for the Disfranchisement of the Borough of Grampound. James Ridgway. 1820.
7. Municipal Corporations Act 1883 (46 & 46 Vict. Ch. 18) (PDF). 1883. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
8. "Grampound Town Clock" (PDF). The Grampound Times. 2019. p. 48. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
9. "Grampound". War Memorials Online. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
10. "Village Success". BBC News. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
11. "Grampound Community Plan" (PDF). Cornwall Rural Community Charity. 2003. p. 3. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
12. Public Records. Vol. 28. 1919. p. 24.
13. "Photograph archive" . Retrieved 3 September 2023.
14. "A390 at Grampound in Cornwall blocked after car crashes into side of building". ITV News. 24 December 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
15. "Plans to rebuild Grade II listed town hall after Grampound crash". Planet Radio. 28 December 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
16. "Grampound Town Hall damage assessed after car crash". BBC News. 2 January 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
17. Green, Alex. "Grampound Town Hall officially reopens 15 months after car crash". BBC News. Retrieved 23 March 2024.