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Summary

Description

John Hutcheson, 1763, raised from 2-storey William Smith 1818. 3-storey, 5-bay, shallow L-plan classical civic chambers. Sandstone ashlar to front, squared and snecked to rear. Tall ground floor arcaded with shallow keystones, banded rustication, band courses between storeys, mutuled cornice at eaves, balustrade, rusticated quoins, architraved margins.

N ELEVATION: symmetrical, windows at 1st corniced, with consoles to centre and outer bays, wallhead pediment with clock to centre of tympanum, urn finial, balustrade with urns upon dies flanking pediment and at ends, quoins.

W ELEVATION: 3 bays of 5-bay arcade to right filled with low walls, glazing and entrance way, truncated cornices and consoles to 1st floor windows, wallhead pediment with carved armorial panel in roundel to centre of tympanum, urn finial, continuous fluted balustrade with dies and urns flanking pediment and at quoins.

S ELEVATION: 2 windows and door to left at ground, 2 windows at 1st to centre and right, one small window at 2nd to extreme right, section to right set back, round-arched pend to open ground floor, 2 bays above, tall window to right at 1st lighting staircase.

E ELEVATION: adjoining 119, 121 High Street to right, 2-bay wing to left, round-arched opening to centre at ground decorative wrought-iron screen with gate to centre, radial patterns to lead, boarded opening to right in re-entrant angle.

ARCADE: 14-step ashlar flight, against E wall, fine cast-iron banister, doorway beneath steps. Rooms to SW corner; N elevation, corniced doorpiece with wrought-iron fanlight above, windows flanking, door to left, E elevation, window to centre, W elevation as external elevation.

INTERIOR: partly converted for office use, 1st floor; Old Council Chamber divided, Corinthian pilasters flanking blocked fireplace to W, Corinthian cornice to ceiling, Committee Room, fielded panel shutters, moulded panel decoration to ceiling, blocked small, pilastered chimneypiece to S. 2nd Floor; Council Chamber, panelled shutters, cornice, timber doorpieces, Ballroom, deep coved ceiling, 2 ceiling roses open to centre with cast-iron decorative grille, cast-iron fireplace, timber doorpieces, blocked minstrel's gallery behind E wall, panelled shutters.

12-pane timber sash and case windows, grey slate upon asymmetrical piended and pitched roofs, ashlar stacks, polygonal cans.

Statement of Special Interest

The third storey was added in 1818 and the south wing was much altered at this time. A jaol was housed in the "vault" area, its entrance being beside the large round-arched opening on the east elevation. The underside of the original steps ascending to the 1st floor are still visible in the vault. Above the vault now is the Committee Room which was formerly the Court Room and is part of the 1818 extensions. The 3rd storey additions were largely paid for by the local guilds and the 2nd floor Council Chamber was originally the Guildhall Supper Room. A suite for the Town Clerk was provided and its original entrance survives under the arcade facing north (at present the disabled lavatory entrance).

References

Bibliography

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