Shire Hall, Chelmsford
| Shire Hall, Chelmsford | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Chelmsford,Essex |
| Coordinates | 51°44′05″N0°28′22″E/ 51.7347°N 0.4729°E |
| Built | 1791 |
| Architect | John Johnson |
| Architectural style(s) | Classical style |
Listed Building– Grade II* | |
| Designated | 20 May 1949 |
| Reference no. | 1141328 |
  Location of Shire Hall, Chelmsford in Essex | |
TheShire Hallis a municipal facility in Tindal Square inChelmsford,Essex.It is a Grade II*listed building.[1]
History[edit]
The current building was commissioned to replace an ageing 16th centurysessions houseat the north end of the High Street which hosted thequarter sessionsand which had been supplemented by a smaller building which hosted thenisi prius court.[2]
The new building, which was designed byJohn Johnsonin theclassical stylewith aPortland stonefaçade, opened in July 1791.[1][3]The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with five bays facing onto Tindal Square; the central section of three bays, which projected slightly forward, featured three arched entrances on the ground floor which were originally open; there were three windows on the first floor interspersed withIonic ordercolumns supporting a large pediment containing a clock.[1]Above the first floor windows were carvings depictingjustice,wisdomandmercy.[1]Internally, the principal rooms were acorn exchangeand two court rooms on the ground floor and there was a large assembly room on the first floor.[4]
In 1856, after a crowd entered the building to attend a trial of five men charged with murder while poaching, the staircase collapsed killing one youth and seriously injuring four others.[5]
Electedcounty councilswere established in 1889 under theLocal Government Act 1888.Essex County Councilheld its first formal meeting at Shire Hall on 2 April 1889, when the question of where the council should meet was debated. It was eventually decided that the four quarterly meetings of the council would be held at Shire Hall, but other meetings and committees would be held in London, which was more accessible by train for the majority of the councillors.[6][7]Shire Hall continued to be used for quarterly meetings of the council until a new council chamber atCounty Hallwas completed in 1938.[8]
Shire Hall's function as a judicial facility reduced with the opening of thenew Crown Courtin New Street in 1982[9]and ceased completely with the opening of a new magistrates' court in New Street in April 2012.[10]In 2019, after the building had lain empty for seven years, the county council appointed the developer, Aquila, to submit proposals for a mixed-used development in the building.[11][12]
Works of art in Shire Hall include three statues of classical female figures by the sculptor,John Bacon,[13]as well as chimney pieces at either end of the assembly hall containing panels carved byCharles Rossi.[14]
References[edit]
- ^abcdHistoric England."Shire Hall, Chelmsford (1141328)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved22 August2019.
- ^"Shire Hall: Past, present and future".Essex Record Office. 7 February 2013.Retrieved7 October2020.
- ^Bettley, James; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2007).Essex (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England).Yale University Press. p. 210.ISBN978-0300116144.
- ^"The Shire Hall, Chelmsford".Britain from above.Retrieved7 October2020.
- ^Trial at the Shire Hall,The Essex Standard,27 February 1856.
- ^"Essex County Council: First statutory meeting".Chelmsford Chronicle.5 April 1889. p. 6.Retrieved12 June2023.
- ^"Conference on Labour History in Essex - Spring 2005"(PDF).Labour Heritage. p. 2. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 17 August 2016.Retrieved23 August2019.
- ^"The County Hall".Chelmsford Chronicle.30 September 1938. p. 9.Retrieved13 June2023.
- ^Mulcahy, Linda; Rowden, Emma (2019).The Democratic Courthouse: A Modern History of Design, Due Process and Dignity.Taylor and Francis.ISBN978-0429558689.
- ^"Shire Hall shuts as it loses its court role".Thisistotalessex.co.uk.5 April 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 13 September 2012.Retrieved21 April2012.
- ^"Delays on plans for the Shire Hall blamed on art gallery proposal".Essex Live.14 May 2019.Retrieved14 November2020.
- ^"Plans for Chelmsford's Shire Hall due before end of 2020".Essex Live.16 September 2020.Retrieved14 November2020.
- ^Bacon, John."Classical female figures".Art UK.Retrieved7 October2020.
- ^Rossi, John Charles Felix."Panel Representing Polyhymnia, Holding a Scroll, with a Caduceus".Art UK.Retrieved7 October2020.