Old Council Offices, Camborne

Old Council Offices, Camborne
Old Council Offices, Camborne
Location	Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall, England
Coordinates	50°12′42″N5°17′52″W / 50.2117°N 5.2977°W / 50.2117; -5.2977
Built	1903;121 years ago (1903)
Architectural style(s)	Renaissance Revival style
Listed Building – Grade II
Official name	Old Council Offices
Designated	23 February 1987
Reference no.	1142644
Shown in Cornwall

The Old Council Offices are in Trevenson Street, Camborne, Cornwall, England. The building, which was used as the offices of Camborne-Redruth Urban District Council and is currently vacant, is a grade II listed building. ^[1]

History

Following significant population growth, largely associated with the tin mining industry, a local board was established in Camborne in 1873. ^[2] The local board, which usually met in the parish vestry room in Church Street, ^[3] was replaced by the Camborne Urban District Council in 1894. ^[4] In the early 20th century, the council decided to commission dedicated council offices. ^[5] The site they selected on Trevenson Street had, in part, been occupied by an old smithy. ^[6]

The new building was designed in the Renaissance Revival style, built in rubble masonry with ashlar dressings and was completed in 1903. ^[7] The original design involved a broadly symmetrical main frontage of five bays facing onto Trevenson Street. The central bay, which was slightly projected forward, featured a doorway flanked by Ionic order columns of polished granite supporting an open pediment; on the first floor, there was cross-window surmounted by a moulded gable which contained an oeil-de-boeuf and was flanked by chimney stacks. The other bays were mainly fenestrated with cross windows. The first and fifth bays were also slightly projected forward and were also surmounted by moulded gables. ^[8] The structure was extended to the right by three extra bays in a similar style to create a fire station in 1909. ^[9]

The building continued to serve as the council offices for the district council until the enlarged Camborne-Redruth Urban District Council was formed at Veor House in South Terrace in Redruth in 1934. ^[10] The fire service continued to use the building as a fire station until a modern fire station was erected in College Street in 1963. ^[11] The building in Trevenson Street was subsequently used as a religious centre in the 1980s, ^[1] and as an office for the local Conservative Association in the 2010s. ^[12]

An extensive programme of works to restore the exterior of the building was carried out with grant aid from the Camborne, Roskear and Tuckingmill Townscape Heritage Initiative in the early 21st century. ^{[13] [14]}

References

1. Historic England. "Old Council Offices (1142644)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 29 May 2023.
2. Kelly's Directory of Devonshire & Cornwall. Kelly's Directories. 1914.
3. "Camborne Local Board". Royal Cornwall Gazette. 22 July 1887. p. 2. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
4. "Camborne UD". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
5. Cahill, Nick J (2002). Cornwall Industrial Settlements Initiative. Camborne (Camborne-Redruth Area). Truro: Cornwall County Council.
6. "Old Ordnance Survey Map" . Retrieved 29 May 2023.
7. "Cornish Buildings Group" (PDF). Cornwall Heritage. 2010. p. 6. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
8. "Council Chamber 1906". Francis Frith. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
9. "New use for old building". Falmouth Packet. 5 November 2006. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
10. "Camborne in Cornwall" (PDF). Great British Railways. p. 6. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
11. "Camborne Old Fire Station". Firestations.org. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
12. "Chairman's Dinner". Camborne Redruth Conservative Association. 9 November 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
13. "Camborne Town Centre Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Strategy" (PDF). 1 March 2010. p. 54. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
14. "Restoring the Past". BBC. Retrieved 29 May 2023.