Maidstone Town Hall | |
---|---|
Location | Middle Row, Maidstone |
Coordinates | 51°16′24″N0°31′20″E / 51.2734°N 0.5221°E Coordinates: 51°16′24″N0°31′20″E / 51.2734°N 0.5221°E |
Built | 1763 |
Architectural style(s) | Neoclassical style |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
Official name | The Town Hall |
Designated | 30 July 1951 |
Reference no. | 1086305 |
Maidstone Town Hall is a municipal building in Middle Row, Maidstone, Kent, England. The town hall, which is a meeting place of Maidstone Borough Council, is a Grade II* listed building. [1]
The first courthouse in the town was erected, for the purposes of hearings of the quarter sessions and assizes, in the Middle Row in 1587. [2] Civic leaders held their meetings in a room on the first floor the lower courthouse. [3] In 1608, a second courthouse, which known as the "upper courthouse", was erected a few yards to the east of the original courthouse, which was subsequently referred to as the "lower courthouse". [4] The upper courthouse was generally used for the assizes while the quarter sessions continued to held in the lower courthouse. [5]
In the late 18th century civic leaders decided to erect a new town hall on the site of the lower courthouse which was duly demolished in 1759. [6] [lower-alpha 1] The new town hall was financed from a combination of public subscription and contributions from the justices. [8] It was designed in the neoclassical style, built with Portland stone on the ground floor and red brick above and was completed in 1763. [1] [9] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with five bays facing onto the High Street; it originally had arcading on the ground floor to allow markets to be held; a council chamber with pedimented windows was established on the first floor. [1] The central section of three bays, which slightly projected forward, was topped with a pediment from which a clock projected. [1] There was a cupola with Ionic order columns, which was capped with a gilded ball and a weather vane, at roof level. [1] Internally, the principal room was the council chamber, which featured a fine Rococo ceiling. [1] A prison cell was established above the council chamber: prisoners who were detained there while awaiting deportation applied graffiti to the walls. [10] The gaol was closed in around 1827, apparently after the escape of a prisoner being held there, [11] and the arcading on the ground floor was enclosed to create a police court sometime after 1835. [12]
By 1898, the town hall was already too small for the needs of the growing town, with the local directory stating that the building was "a miserable specimen of the poverty-stricken architecture of those days, possessing no room adequate to the needs of a large town, and necessitating the scattering of the offices of the Corporation." [12] However, the town hall remained the main meeting place of Maidstone Municipal Borough Council until council offices were established at Tonbridge Road in the 1960s, [13] and the council chamber in the town hall is still used by its successor body, Maidstone Borough Council, for committee meetings. [14]
Shire Hall is a former judicial facility at Mount Folly Square in Bodmin, Cornwall. It was the main courthouse in Cornwall from 1838 to 1988. It is a Grade II* listed building.
Wells Town Hall is a municipal building in the Market Place in Wells, Somerset, England. The building, which is the headquarters of Wells City Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Hastings Town Hall is a municipal building in Queen's Road, Hastings, East Sussex, England. The town hall, which was the meeting place of Hastings Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Tamworth Town Hall is a municipal building in Market Street, Tamworth, Staffordshire, England. The town hall, which was the meeting place of Tamworth Borough Council is a Grade II* listed building.
Folkestone Town Hall, also known as The Guildhall, is a municipal building in Guildhall Street, Folkestone, Kent, England. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Folkestone Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Neath Town Hall is a municipal building in Church Place, Neath, South Wales. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Neath Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Huntingdon Town Hall is a municipal structure on Market Hill in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Huntingdon Borough Council, is a Grade II* listed building.
Sudbury Town Hall is a municipal building in Gaol Lane in Sudbury, Suffolk, England. The building, which was the headquarters of Sudbury Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Godalming Borough Hall is a municipal building in Bridge Street in Godalming, England. The building is the meeting place of Godalming Town Council.
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.
Saltash Guildhall is a municipal building in Fore Street, Saltash, Cornwall, England. The structure, which was the meeting place of Saltash Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Hythe Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street, Hythe, Kent, England. The structure, which is the meeting place of Hythe Town Council, is a Grade II* listed building.
Conwy Guildhall is a municipal structure in Rose Hill Street, Conwy, Wales. The guildhall, which is the meeting place of Conwy Town Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Blandford Forum Town Hall is a municipal building in the Market Place in Blandford Forum, Dorset, England. The structure, which was the meeting place of Blandford Forum Borough Council, is a Grade I listed building.
Glastonbury Town Hall is a municipal building in Magdalene Street, Glastonbury, Somerset, England. The structure, which is the meeting place of Glastonbury Town Council, is a Grade II* listed building.
New Romney Town Hall is a municipal structure in the High Street, New Romney, Kent, England. The structure, which is the meeting place of New Romney Town Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Hedon Town Hall is a municipal building in St Augustine's Gate, Hedon, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The building, which is the meeting place of Hedon Town Council, is a Grade II* listed building.
Rye Town Hall is a municipal building in Market Street, Rye, East Sussex, England. The building, which is the meeting place of Rye Town Council, is a Grade II* listed building.
Garstang Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street in Garstang, Lancashire, England. The structure, which currently accommodates two shops and a Royal British Legion Club, is a Grade II listed building.
Wallingford Town Hall is a municipal building in the Market Place in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, England. The building, which is the meeting place of Wallingford Town Council, is a Grade I listed building.