Old Town Hall | |
---|---|
Location | The Shambles, Stroud |
Coordinates | 51°44′43″N2°12′57″W / 51.7454°N 2.2157°W |
Built | 1596 |
Architectural style(s) | Gothic style |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
Official name | Town Hall |
Designated | 25 June 1974 |
Reference no. | 1267688 |
The Old Town Hall is a municipal building in The Shambles, Stroud, Gloucestershire, England. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Stroud Urban District Council, is a Grade II* listed building. [1]
Following the granting of a charter to hold markets in 1594, the lord of the manor at Over Lypiatt, John Throckmorton, decided to commission a market hall; the new building was designed in the neoclassical style and completed in 1596. [1] The original design involved a symmetrical main frontage with four bays facing onto the Market Place; it was arcaded on the ground floor to allow markets to be held; an assembly room with a large oriel window was established on the first floor. [2] [3]
A village lock-up was created in the basement of the building in the 17th century [4] and a school was established on the first floor of the building in the early 18th century: [5] the physicist, John Canton, attended the school at that time. [6] Part of the building was converted into a tailor's spinning house in the late 18th century. [2]
The building was first used for municipal purposes as a meeting place for the local vestry in the early 19th century. [2] It was extended to a design by Francis Niblett to accommodate the county court in 1851 [7] and, after becoming the offices of the local board of health, it was remodelled in the gothic style with a large gable containing mullion windows erected above the two central bays in 1856. [2] In order to improve the stability of the building, large buttresses, flanking the two central bays, were installed on the front of the building in 1890. [2] After significant population growth, partly associated with the number of dye works in the town, the area became an urban district with the town hall as its headquarters in 1894. [8]
Following an increase in the responsibilities of the council, civic leaders acquired the former offices of the Gloucester Banking Company in the High Street in 1930; the High Street building was converted for municipal use and was subsequently referred to as the "Council Chambers". [2] Although most council officers and their departments moved to the new Council Chambers in the High Street, some departments, including the technical services department, remained in the old building. [9] The old town hall remained in municipal use even after the enlarged Stroud District Council was formed in 1974. [10] [11] However, in 1986, the council acquired Ebley Mill, once the largest mills of its type in the south west of England, with a view to converting it for office use for council officers and their departments. [12] Following the preparation of a feasibility study, a programme of improvement works was implemented at the town hall after the council moved out in 1988. [13] [14]
Wall hangings created to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the granting of a charter to the town were completed in 1994 and subsequently hung in the building. [15]
Gloucestershire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire to the east, Wiltshire to the south, Bristol and Somerset to the south-west, and the Welsh county of Monmouthshire to the west. The city of Gloucester is the largest settlement and the county town.
Cirencester is a market town in Gloucestershire, England, 80 miles (130 km) west of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames. It is the eighth largest settlement in Gloucestershire and the largest town within the Cotswolds. It is the home of the Royal Agricultural University, the oldest agricultural college in the English-speaking world, founded in 1840. The town had a population of 20,229 in 2021.
Tewkesbury is a medieval market town and civil parish in the north of Gloucestershire, England. The town grew following the construction of Tewkesbury Abbey in the twelfth century and played a significant role in the Wars of the Roses. It stands at the confluence of the River Severn and the River Avon, and thus became an important trading point, which continued as railways and, later, the M5 and M50 motorway connections were established. The town gives its name to the Borough of Tewkesbury, a local government district of Gloucestershire. The town lies on the border with Worcestershire, marked largely by the Carrant Brook.
Stroud is a market town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It is the main town in Stroud District. The town's population was 13,500 in 2021.
Stonehouse is a town in the Stroud District of Gloucestershire in southwestern England.
The River Frome, once also known as the Stroudwater, is a small river in Gloucestershire, England. It is to be distinguished from another River Frome in Gloucestershire, the Bristol Frome, and the nearby River Frome, Herefordshire. The river is approximately 25 miles (40 km) long.
Gloucestershire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Gloucestershire, in England. The council was created in 1889. The council's principal functions are county roads and rights of way, social services, education and libraries, but it also provides many other local government services in the area it covers. The council's administrative area does not include South Gloucestershire, which is a unitary authority with all the functions of a county and a non-metropolitan district. The council is based at Shire Hall in Gloucester.
Gloucester City Council is the local authority for Gloucester, a non-metropolitan district with city status in Gloucestershire, England.
Ebley is a community in Gloucestershire, England. It was once a village, and is now part of the Stroud urban area. It lies in the valley of the River Frome, 2 miles west of the town centre of Stroud. It is part of the civil parish of Cainscross.
Gloucester Guildhall is a former municipal building in Eastgate Street, Gloucester, which is now used as a arts and theatre venue. It is a Grade II listed building.
Ripley Town Hall is a municipal building in the Market Place, Ripley, Derbyshire, England. The town hall is the headquarters of Amber Valley Borough Council.
Aldershot Town Hall is a municipal building in Grosvenor Road, Aldershot, Hampshire, England. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Aldershot Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Shipley Town Hall is a municipal structure in Kirkgate in Shipley, West Yorkshire, England. It was the headquarters of Shipley Urban District Council.
Tewkesbury Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England. The building, which is the meeting place of Tewkesbury Town Council, is a Grade II* listed building.
Dursley Town Hall, also known as Dursley Market Hall, is a municipal building in the Market Place, Dursley, Gloucestershire, England. The structure, which is mainly used for markets and community events, is a Grade II* listed building.
Redesdale Hall, also referred to as Moreton-in-Marsh Town Hall, is a municipal building in the High Street, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, England. The building, which is used as an events venue, is a Grade II listed building.
Tetbury Market House, also known as Tetbury Town Hall, is a municipal building in the Market Place, Tetbury, Gloucestershire, England. The building, which was used both as a market house and as a town hall until the late 19th century, is a Grade I listed building.
Painswick Town Hall is a municipal building in Victoria Square, Painswick, Gloucestershire, England. The building, which is used as an events venue and also as the offices of Painswick Parish Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Bewdley Guildhall is a municipal building in Load Street in Bewdley, Worcestershire, England. The structure, which is the meeting place of Bewdley Town Council, is a Grade II* listed building.