Liskeard Guildhall

Liskeard Guildhall
Liskeard Guildhall
Location	Pike Street, Liskeard
Coordinates	50°27′17″N4°27′49″W / 50.4548°N 4.4637°W / 50.4548; -4.4637
Built	1858
Architect	Charles Reeves and Lewis George Butcher
Architectural style(s)	Italianate style
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official name	Guildhall
Designated	22 July 1981
Reference no.	1206610
Shown in Cornwall

Liskeard Guildhall is a municipal building in Pike Street, Liskeard, Cornwall, England. The structure, which was the meeting place of Liskeard Borough Council, is a Grade II* listed building. ^[1]

History

The first municipal building in the town was a town hall built at the expense of the local member of parliament, John Dolben. The building was arcaded on the ground floor, so that markets could be held, with an assembly room on the first floor; it was surmounted by a clock and was completed in 1707. ^{[2] [3] [4]} Dobel presided at the trial of the Anglican priest, Henry Sacheverell, who was impeached by the House of Commons on the charge of displaying contempt for a Commons resolution. Rioting supporters of Sacheverell threatened to burn down Dobel's house and hang him on a tree: the rioters subsequently pulled down the clock from the tower at Liskeard Town Hall. ^[5]

In the mid-19th century, the borough leaders decided to demolish the old town hall and replace it with a new structure. The new building was designed by Charles Reeves and Lewis George Butcher in the Italianate style, built in ashlar stone and was completed in 1858. ^[1] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with five bays facing onto Fore Street; there was a loggia with five openings on the ground floor, five round headed sash windows on the first floor and projecting modillioned eaves at roof level. On the Pike Street elevation there were four bays with a doorway in the right hand bay and a central clock tower on the roof. ^[1] The clock tower featured a pair of cast iron grilles in the first stage, a pair of round headed widows in the second stage, a set of clock faces in the third stage and open pediments above. ^[1] Internally, the principal room was the council chamber. ^[1]

The clock was designed and manufactured by Thomas Hale & Sons of Bristol and was a gift (together with the two quarter bells) from the mayor, John Clark Isaac, in 1868. ^{[6] [7]} In the 20th century, although the building continued to be used for civic events, ^[8] the borough council established offices for its officers and departments in the municipal offices in West Street. ^[9] The guildhall also continued to be used for coroner's court hearings ^[10] and magistrates' court hearings until the magistrates moved to modern facilities at Culverland Road in 1987; much of the building was subsequently converted for retail and commercial use. ^[11]

See also

• Grade II* listed buildings in Cornwall (A–G)

References

1. Historic England. "Guildhall (1206610)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 17 October 2021.
2. Lewis, Samuel (1848). "'Linton - Liskeard', in A Topographical Dictionary of England". London: British History Online. pp. 98–101. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
3. Tymms, Samuel (1842). Camden's Britannia epitomized and continued. Vol. 2. London: Henry G. Bohn. p. 11.
4. Redding, Cyrus (1842). An Illustrated History of the County of Cornwall. How and Parsons. p. 90.
5. "Dolben, John (1662-1710), of Epsom, Surr". History of Parliament. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
6. "The Town Clock in Liskeard has Stopped" (PDF). Liskeard Town Council. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
7. "Damaged clock may have been shot". Cornish Times. 16 October 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
8. "Reception Dinner for the men who have been to the front in South Africa, to be held at Liskeard Guildhall on 28 October 1902" (PDF). Dix Noonan Webb. p. 191. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
9. "No. 43255". The London Gazette . 25 February 1964. p. 1788.
10. "Treasure Trove in Farmyard". Evening Express. 19 April 1907. hdl:10107/4175502 . Retrieved 17 October 2021.
11. "The Liskeard Guildhall" (PDF). Liskheard Town Council. Retrieved 17 October 2021.