| The Guildhall | |
|---|---|
 The Guildhall in 2013 | |
| Location | Chard, Somerset, England |
| Coordinates | 50°52′21″N2°57′53″W / 50.8725°N 2.9646°W |
| Built | 1834-35 |
| Architect | Richard Carver |
| Architectural style(s) | Classical style |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | The Guildhall |
| Designated | 24 March 1950 |
| Reference no. | 1197456 |
  Location of The Guildhall in Somerset | |
The Guildhall is a town hall and community building in the town of Chard in the English county of Somerset.
The Guildhall was built between 1834 and 1835 to replace the town's original 16th century guildhall and market house. [1] Owing to the inconvenient position of the original hall at Fore Street, the decision to erect a replacement was finalised in 1833. [2] [3] The foundation stone of the new hall was laid on 20 December 1834. [4] Designed by the local architect Richard Carver of Taunton in the Classical style, it originally incorporated a town hall, market house and butchery, and cost over £3,000 to build. [5] The building, which also served as the local corn exchange, first opened on 21 September 1835. [6]
The guildhall clock was manufactured by A. Payne, [7] and installed to celebrate the accession of Queen Victoria to the throne in 1837. [8] The building has been Grade II* listed since 1950. [2]
Much of the building's interior was remodelled around 1970, [2] with the entire building later undergoing renovation work between 1998 and 2003. [9] The weather vane on top of the building, which is 7 feet (2.1 m) high and weighs 32 stone (450 lb; 200 kg) was taken down for restoration by a local blacksmith in spring 2002. [10]
The guildhall was the meeting place of the municipal borough of Chard, formed in response to the Municipal Corporations Act 1835. [11] It ceased to be the local seat of government when, following further local government re-organisation, [12] the enlarged South Somerset Council was formed in 1974. [13] The Guildhall has housed the offices of Chard Town Council since 2009, and is also regularly used by local community groups for a variety of activities. [14]
The mechanism for the guildhall clock, weighing 200 kilograms (440 lb), was removed during the renovation of the building and returned, fully restored, in spring 2008. [8]
The Guildhall is built of Hamstone sourced from nearby Ham Hill, with slate roofs. The two-storey building has a T-shaped plan and is designed in the Classical style. The facade features a Doric portico with a double row of Tuscan columns at ground level and Doric columns on the second-storey. A domed cupola, featuring clock faces on three sides, sits on top of the facade's pediment. Both the council chamber and mayor's parlour survive unaltered. [2]
Ilminster is a minster town and civil parish in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England, with a population of 5,808. Bypassed in 1988, the town now lies just east of the junction of the A303 and the A358. The parish includes the hamlet of Sea.
Chard is a town and a civil parish in the English county of Somerset. It lies on the A30 road near the Devon and Dorset borders, 15 miles (24 km) south west of Yeovil. The parish has a population of approximately 14,000 and, at an elevation of 121 metres (397 ft), Chard is the southernmost and one of the highest towns in Somerset. Administratively Chard forms part of the district of South Somerset.
The Guildhall is a building on Alfred Gelder Street in the City of Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The building is currently the headquarters of Hull City Council but is also used as a venue for conferences, civic receptions and formal dinners. It is a Grade II* listed building status.
Fore Street in Chard, Somerset, England was built in the late 16th and early 17th century, following a fire which destroyed much of the town in 1577.
Guildhall is an 18th-century municipal building in central Bath, Somerset, England. It is a Grade I listed building.
Bolton Town Hall in Victoria Square, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, was built between 1866 and 1873 for the County Borough of Bolton to designs by William Hill of Leeds and George Woodhouse of Bolton. The town hall was extended in the 1930s to the designs of Bradshaw, Gass and Hope and has been designated a Grade II* listed building by English Heritage.
The Guildford Guildhall is a Guildhall located on the High Street of the town of Guildford, Surrey. It is a Grade I listed building.
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Derby Guildhall is a municipal building in the Market Place, Derby, England. It is a Grade II listed building.
Peterborough Town Hall is a municipal building in Bridge Street, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. It is a locally listed building.
Andover Guildhall is a municipal building in the High Street, Andover, Hampshire, England. The guildhall, which was the headquarters of Andover Borough Council, is a Grade II* listed building.
Thetford Guildhall is a municipal structure in the Market Place in Thetford, Norfolk, England. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Thetford Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.
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Tiverton Town Hall is a municipal building in St Andrew Street in Tiverton, Devon, England. The structure, which was the meeting place of Tiverton Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Oswestry Guildhall is a municipal building in Bailey Head in Oswestry, Shropshire, England. The structure, which was the meeting place of Oswestry Municipal Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Helston Guildhall, also known as Helston Town Hall, is a municipal building in Church Street, Helston, Cornwall, England. The structure, which is the meeting place of Helston Town Council, is a Grade II* listed building.
Poole Guildhall is a municipal building in Market Street, Poole, Dorset, England. The guildhall, which is used as a register office and a venue for weddings and civil partnership ceremonies, is a Grade II* listed building.
Chipping Norton Town Hall is a municipal building in the Market Place, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England. The building, which is used as an events venue, is a Grade II* listed building.
Bishop's Castle Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street in Bishop's Castle, Shropshire, England. The building, which is the meeting place of Bishop's Castle Town Council, is a Grade II* listed building.
Looe Guildhall is a municipal building in Fore Street in Looe, Cornwall, England. The structure, which is currently used as a community events venue, is a Grade II listed building.
