Corn Exchange, Bishop's Stortford | |
---|---|
Location | Market Square, Bishop's Stortford |
Coordinates | 51°52′16″N0°09′32″E / 51.8710°N 0.1588°E |
Built | 1828 |
Architect | Lewis Vulliamy |
Architectural style(s) | Greek Revival style |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
Official name | Halifax Building Society |
Designated | 18 October 1949 |
Reference no. | 1102406 |
The Corn Exchange is a commercial building in the Market Square in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England. The structure, which is currently used to accommodate shops and offices, is a Grade II listed building. [1]
In the early 1820s, a group of local businessmen decided to form a private company to finance and commission a corn exchange for the town. The site they selected in the Market Square was occupied by the King's Head Inn which dated from 1680. [2]
The new building was designed by Lewis Vulliamy in the Greek Revival style, built in Roman concrete and completed in 1828. [3] [4] [5] The main structure was erected above a podium which projected to the north and south. The north end of the podium, which was circular, provided access to the main trading floor through a small porch, which was surmounted by a statue of the Roman goddess of agriculture, Ceres. [6] Set back, high above the podium, there was a tetrastyle portico in antis , formed by Ionic order columns supporting an entablature and a pediment with a clock and a pair of reclining figures in the tympanum. There was also a similar but less elaborate portico, with just two Ionic order columns, on the east side. [1]
The use of the building as a corn exchange declined significantly in the wake of the Great Depression of British Agriculture in the late 19th century. [7] Instead, it was used as a venue for meetings. The local board held its first meeting, under the chairmanship of Jones Gifford Nash, at the corn exchange on 23 February 1867, [8] and petty sessions were held there on a regular basis in the late 19th century. [9]
Significant alterations were made to the building in 1890. The porch with the statue of Ceres was removed and a glass rotunda was erected above the north end of the podium. Meanwhile, the south end of the podium was occupied by Capital and Counties Bank, which became Lloyds Bank in 1934. [10] During the Second World War, the building was used as a synagogue for Jewish refugees evacuated from London. [2]
After the corn exchange ceased trading in 1959, [11] the building was acquired by Hertfordshire County Council. However, it soon became dilapidated and, in 1967, the council recommended its demolition. The proposal was strongly opposed by the Bishop's Stortford Civic Society and the Bishop's Stortford History Society. After the proposal was withdrawn, the building was subsequently acquired by a developer. A major programme of works, involving the removal of the glass rotunda and the conversion of much of the building into shops and offices, was completed in 1974. [12] The conversion was carried out to a design by Ronald Cox Associates and D. A. Burt Associates for which they received a European Heritage Award in 1974. [13] Lloyds Bank vacated the north end of the podium and re-located to North Street at around the same time. [2] A restaurant, bar and entertainment venue known as "Host" opened in the building in July 2000. [14] [15]
Bishop's Stortford is a historic market town in Hertfordshire, England, just west of the M11 motorway on the county boundary with Essex, 27 miles (43 km) north-east of central London, and 35 miles (56 km) by rail from Liverpool Street station. Stortford had an estimated population of 41,088 in 2020. The district of East Hertfordshire, where the town is located, has been ranked as the best place to live in the UK by the Halifax Quality of Life annual survey in 2020. The town is commonly known as “Stortford” by locals.
East Hertfordshire is one of ten local government districts in Hertfordshire, England. Its council is based in Hertford, the county town of Hertfordshire. The largest town in the district is Bishop's Stortford, and the other main towns are Ware, Buntingford and Sawbridgeworth. At the 2011 Census, the population of the district was 137,687. By area it is the largest of the ten local government districts in Hertfordshire. The district borders North Hertfordshire, Stevenage, Welwyn Hatfield and Broxbourne in Hertfordshire, and Epping Forest, Harlow and Uttlesford in Essex.
Bishop's Stortford Football Club is a football club based in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England. They are currently members of the National League North and play at Woodside Park.
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