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;122 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 was at the western end of Trevenson Street overlooking a junction known as "The Cross", and 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]

Camborne Urban District Council was abolished in 1934, when Camborne became part of the larger Camborne-Redruth Urban District. ^[10] The building served as the headquarters for the new Camborne-Redruth Urban District Council until 1946, when the council moved a short distance to a large converted house called Veor on South Terrace in Camborne. ^{[11] [12]}

The fire service continued to use the building as a fire station until a modern fire station was erected in College Street in 1963. ^[13] 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. ^[14]

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. ^{[15] [16]}

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. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 May 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
11. "Council moves to Veor". The Cornishman. Penzance. 28 March 1946. p. 6. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
12. "Tenders: Camborne-Redruth Urban District Council". The Cornishman. Penzance. 6 June 1946. p. 1. Retrieved 2 September 2025. The Council invites tenders for the purchase of the block of buildings at Camborne Cross lately used as offices by the Council's staff, including the Council Chamber, Magistrates' Hall and the old Fire Brigade Station...
13. "Camborne Old Fire Station". Firestations.org. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
14. "Chairman's Dinner". Camborne Redruth Conservative Association. 9 November 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
15. "Camborne Town Centre Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Strategy" (PDF). 1 March 2010. p. 54. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
16. "Restoring the Past". BBC. Retrieved 29 May 2023.