Shire Hall, Warwick | |
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![]() The Shire Hall | |
Location | Warwick, Warwickshire |
Coordinates | 52°16′58″N1°35′21″W / 52.2829°N 1.5891°W |
Built | 1758 |
Architect | Sanderson Miller |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
Designated | 10 January 1953 |
Reference no. | 1184979 |
Shire Hall is a building complex located in Northgate Street in Warwick, England. It is the main office and the meeting place of Warwickshire County Council. It comprises both the original Shire Hall of 1758 and the more recent adjoining county council offices, both of which are Grade I listed buildings. [1] [2]
Although Warwick was founded much earlier, it was not incorporated as a borough until 1545 [3] and it was only in 1576 that justice became a borough matter rather than that of the earls. [4] Little is known about the first hall built on the site following this declaration except that £1,161 was levied for repairs and alterations (and the erection of a gaol next door) in May 1674 to be raised by taxes. [4] Work was undertaken by William Hurlbert who had previously erected the town's Market Hall and refurbished Warwick Castle. [5] Due to the fact that it was a sturdy brick-built structure the hall survived the Great Fire of Warwick on 5 September 1694 which destroyed all the surrounding town centre buildings. [6]
The original sections of the existing building, which were designed by Sanderson Miller, were constructed by local brothers William and David Hiorn [7] between 1753 and 1758. [8] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of nine bays facing onto Northgate Street; the central section of three bays featured a round headed doorway flanked by Corinthian order columns supporting a frieze and a pediment containing the county council coat of arms. [1] The principal rooms included a Grand Jury Room on the first floor and the courtrooms on the ground floor. [1]
The building was originally used as a facility for dispensing justice but, following the implementation of the Local Government Act 1888, which established county councils in every county, it also became the meeting place of Warwickshire County Council. [9]
The first major extension of the complex beyond the traditional hall and court rooms took place in 1932. Massively increasing its size the complex spread northward, incorporating the frontage of the old gaol, towards the former barracks, onto the site where the Militia Hall had once stood. [10]
The building was brought up to its current size by construction of a new council chamber and further offices in 1958 and a final expansion in 1966, which included a new frontage and main public entrance for the complex facing Market Place. The latter two developments are classic examples of Brutalist architecture. [11] [2] The Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother officially opened the extension on 3 November 1966. [12]
Included in these alterations were the relocation of the Warwickshire County Emergency Centre, effectively a bunker allowing emergency council business to continue during wartime or terrorist attacks. [13] There are currently two man-made ponds located in the complex, one in the 1930s courtyard and another outside the 1966 section, with metallic sculptures of a heron and fishes added in 2000. [14] The crown and county courts moved to the new Warwickshire Justice Centre in Leamington Spa in 2010. [15]
The television series Father Brown was filmed in and around the Hall in 2014. [16]
In 2024, auction consultant Adam Busiakiewicz collaborated with historian Aaron Manning after identifying a portrait of Henry VIII, commissioned by tapestry maker, Ralph Sheldon (1537–1613). The portrait had originally been listed as missing, yet was hanging unknowingly in the shire hall and was identified as the missing portrait, after a photograph of it appeared on X. [17]
In Great Britain and Ireland, a county town is the most important town or city in a county. It is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county, and the place where public representatives are elected to parliament. Following the establishment of county councils in England 1889, the headquarters of the new councils were usually established in the county town of each county; however, the concept of a county town pre-dates these councils.
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply Leamington, is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Priors, it grew into a spa town in the 18th century following the popularisation of its water which was reputed to have medicinal qualities. In the 19th century, the town experienced one of the most rapid expansions in England. It is named after the River Leam, which flows through the town.
Southam is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. Southam is situated on the River Stowe, which flows from Napton-on-the-Hill and joins Warwickshire's River Itchen at Stoneythorpe, just outside the town.
Warwick is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is 9 miles (14 km) south of Coventry, and 19 miles (31 km) south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whitnash.
Warwickshire is a ceremonial county in the West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire to the south, and Worcestershire and the West Midlands county to the west. The largest settlement is Nuneaton and the county town is Warwick.
Warwick is a local government district in Warwickshire, England. It is named after the historic county town of Warwick, which is the district's second largest town; the largest town is Royal Leamington Spa, where the council is based. The district also includes the towns of Kenilworth and Whitnash and surrounding villages and rural areas. Leamington Spa, Warwick and Whitnash form a conurbation which has about two thirds of the district's population.
Warwickshire County Record Office is the county record office for Warwickshire, England. Its purpose is to collect, preserve and make available archives relating to the history of the county and its people dating from the early 12th to the 21st century. It is located in the town of Warwick, and is owned and run by Warwickshire County Council.
The National Justice Museum is an independent museum on High Pavement in the Lace Market area of Nottingham, England.
A county hall or shire hall is a common name given to a building that houses the seat of local government for a county.
Warwickshire County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Warwickshire in England. Its headquarters are at Shire Hall in the centre of Warwick, the county town. The council's principal functions are county roads and rights of way, social services, education and libraries, but it also provides numerous other local government services in its area.
County Hall is a historic former courthouse in Cuckoo Lane in Coventry's Cathedral Quarter. It is a Grade II* listed building.
The Shire Hall is a public building in Stafford, England, completed in 1798 to a design by John Harvey. Formerly a courthouse, it housed an art gallery which closed to the public in July 2017. The court rooms and cells are preserved. The building, its interiors, and the associated street furniture were grade II* listed on 17 December 1971, when it was described as "One of the finest public buildings in Stafford".
The Warwickshire Justice Centre is a Crown Court venue, which deals with criminal cases, as well as a County Court venue, which deals with civil cases, in Newbold Terrace, Leamington Spa, England. The complex also incorporates magistrates' court, a police station, and other agencies such as the Probation Service and Victim Support.
Market Place is an open air urban space in Warwick, Warwickshire, England. It has for many centuries been the centre of the town taking on a number of functions during its history.
William Hiorne was an architect and builder based in Warwick.
Gloucester Shire Hall is a municipal building in Westgate Street, Gloucester. The shire hall, which is the main office and the meeting place of Gloucestershire County Council, is a grade II listed building.
The Shire Hall is a municipal building in Fore Street, Hertford, the county town of Hertfordshire, England. The building, which currently serves as a Magistrates' Court, is a Grade I listed building.
The Northgate Street drill hall is a former military installation in Warwick.
The Shire Hall Complex is a group of municipal buildings in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England. The complex, which was the headquarters of West Suffolk County Council until its abolition in 1974, is a Grade II listed building.
The Old Barracks is a former military installation in Barrack Road, Warwick, England. It is a Grade I listed building.