Ipswich Town Hall
Ipswich Town Hall | |
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![]() Ipswich Town Hall as seen from Tavern Street | |
Location | Ipswich |
Coordinates | 52°03′28″N1°09′09″E/ 52.0577°N 1.1525°E |
Built | 1868 |
Architect | Bellamy and Hardy |
Architectural style(s) | Italianate style |
Listed Building– Grade II | |
Designated | 4 August 1972 |
Reference no. | 1206572 |
Ipswich Town Hallis a municipal building inIpswich,in the county ofSuffolk,England. It is a Grade IIlisted building.[1]It is used for meetings ofIpswich Borough Counciland also serves as an events venue and art gallery.
History
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/af/IpswichTown_Hall.jpg/174px-IpswichTown_Hall.jpg)
The first town hall had its origins in a chapel dedicated toSt Mildrithwhich had been converted into a civic building by the insertion of an upper floor in the 18th century.[2]This building together with an adjacent building standing to the east of it were remodelled with a newfacadein thePaladian styleby Benjamin Catt in 1818.[2]The internal alterations to consolidate these two buildings properly into one civic space were not completed until 1842.[2]
The foundation stone for the current building was laid by the mayor,Ebenezer Goddard,on 18 April 1866.[3]The new building was designed by the Lincoln firm of architectsBellamy and Hardyin theItalianate style.It was constructed on the site of the old town hall at a cost of £16,000 and was opened byJohn Patteson Cobbold,the then mayor, in 1868.[1]
An Ipswich Societyblue plaquewas installed on the Town Hall in 2016 commemoratingMary Whitmore,the first woman to be Mayor of Ipswich, in 1946.[4][5]
The council built itself a new civic centre on Civic Drive in 1970 to serve as its main offices, but continued to use the town hall for full council meetings.[6]The civic centre was in turn replaced in 2006 when the council moved toGrafton House.[7]The town hall continues to be used for full council meetings and also includes the council's customer service centre.[8][9]
Design
[edit]The building is built in a grand Italianate style with the figure heads ofKing Richard I,CardinalThomas WolseyandKing Johndecorating the front wall. King Richard I promised the town its first charter but died before it was granted, King John granted the town's charter and Cardinal Wolsey was born and educated inIpswich.[10]Sitting above the figure heads are four statues representing Commerce, Agriculture, Law and Order and Justice. Placed on the smaller tower sits an open stone work lantern. The tower houses an illuminated four-dial turret striking clock designed by Messrs. Dent of 61 Strand who were the makers of theBig Ben.[11]John Warner & Sonsof the Crescent Foundry London, cast the bell that sits in the tower that was made in 1867.[12]
When it opened the town hall included a Council Chamber, a Quarter Sessions Court, a library, committee and retiring rooms, Grand and Petty Jury Rooms and a room for the Magistrates' business.[13]The basement included a police station with seven cells and a parade area, a kitchen, offices and space for the Corporation fire engine and hose to be kept.[13]It was subsequently altered to include two art galleries.[12]
Works of art contained in the building include a bust of theDuke of WellingtonbyPeter Turnerelli[14]and a bust, in similar style, of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey by an unknown artist.[15]
References
[edit]- ^abHistoric England."Town Hall, Ipswich (1206572)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved8 April2020.
- ^abc"The Town Hall Building in the 1830s".Suffolk Local History Council. 2011. pp. 28–29.Retrieved15 November2020.
- ^"The History of Ipswich Town Hall"(PDF).Ipswich Town Hall and Corn Exchange.Retrieved30 July2020.
- ^"Ipswich Lettering: Plaques".Retrieved7 February2021.
- ^"Former Ipswich mayor Mary Whitmore to be honoured with blue plaque on Town Hall".Ipswich Star.31 May 2016.Retrieved7 February2021.
- ^"Town Hall history".Ipswich Borough Council.Retrieved6 January2024.
- ^Adwent, Colin (16 March 2009)."Civic centre going, going, almost gone".Ipswich Star.Retrieved6 January2024.
- ^"Services in the Town Hall".Ipswich Borough Council.Retrieved6 January2024.
- ^"Calendar".Ipswich Borough Council.Retrieved6 January2024.
- ^Jack, Sybil M. (5 January 2012). "Thomas Wolsey".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/29854.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^"New year saved by Steve".Ipswich Star. 2 January 2010.Retrieved30 July2020.
- ^ab"Ipswich Town Hall".Ipswich Town and Waterfront. Archived fromthe originalon 31 October 2014.Retrieved31 October2014.
- ^ab"Ipswich Town Hall".All about Ipswich. Archived fromthe originalon 31 October 2014.Retrieved31 October2014.
- ^"Bust of the Duke of Wellington (as Field Marshal)".Recording Archive for Public Sculpture in Norfolk & Suffolk.Retrieved30 July2020.
- ^"Bust of Cardinal Wolsey".Recording Archive for Public Sculpture in Norfolk & Suffolk.Retrieved30 July2020.