Former Stanley Council Chambers

Former Council Offices

This former council chamber, designed by J W Wilson of Sutton Coldfield and constructed in 1911, is built in the Baroque style. The building is constructed of red brick with a sandstone ashlar principal elevation and a roof of large grey slates.

The site slopes from south to north, creating a complex arrangement: the south elevation has two storeys plus basement and attic, while the rear rises to three storeys above basement level. The building is rectangular in plan and occupies a prominent position on Stanley high street adjacent to the former board school. Most windows are original, fitted with small-paned or single-paned casements.

The symmetrical main south elevation is constructed of sandstone ashlar. It comprises three wide bays: the two end bays take the form of open-pedimented gables, flanking a central entrance bay. The main entrance features a semi-circular porch with two Ionic columns and a deep dentilled entablature, approached by original circular stone steps. The entrance itself is wide, flanked to either side by narrow sidelights, and above sits a dentilled tympanum bearing the year '1910' in relief. The entrance retains original double panelled doors with a small-paned overlight. Above this is a recessed, full-width stone mullioned-and-transomed window terminating in a curved dentilled cornice.

The outer bays have pitched roofs. They feature rusticated pilasters framing three two and three light ground-floor windows with long keys; the central window has a scroll. All sit beneath a stone entablature. Stone aprons run below the windows. The pilasters extend to ground level with blind arch detailing, though this is partially obscured on the left by an early 21st-century stone ramp and on the right by a 20th-century brick wall encircling a basement extension beneath the pavement. Above, a dentilled open pediment rests on first-floor Ionic pilasters framing shallow three-light oriel windows with sidelights, each under a long key. Each pediment has a Diocletian window from which long radiating voussoirs extend to the eaves band in an early sunburst design. A large 20th-century dormer fills the space between and behind the pediments.

The long left return elevation has a tall stone chimney stack and a stone entablature. The ground floor contains four tall, narrow windows with keys. The first floor has a five-light stone mullioned-and-transomed window with a rectangular window to either side, each beneath a straight pediment, all terminating in a dentilled eaves cornice.

The three-bay rear elevation is also symmetrical and rises three storeys plus attic; the basement cellar here forms the ground floor level. The end bays have open-pedimented gables and dentilled ashlar pediments. A projecting second-floor sill band and a stone band forming lintels to ground-floor openings are present, along with stone quoins up to second-floor level. There are five wide segmental-arched window openings to the first and second floors, the pairs in each end bay flanking a tall, narrow rectangular window (that to the left end bay second floor is blind). Each pediment has a lunette, blind to the left side. The ground floor has multiple door and window openings with stone heads and mullions. A 20th-century single-storey rear extension of no special interest is excluded from the listing.

Interior

The original plan is largely retained across all floors, and chimney breasts mostly remain. Some walls and ceilings have recently been stripped of plaster in the early 21st century, but overall there is good survival of original geometric decorative plasterwork, original joinery, and some cast-iron radiators.

The basement comprises a series of service rooms including boiler room and stores, mostly with exposed brick, painted or glazed walls. It is a plain, utilitarian space with rooms connected by round-headed openings. One room retains original boarded walls and ceiling, two sinks, and a cast-iron radiator. An original back stair to the first floor survives with handrails and turned newel posts. The original rear wall of the building is exposed, showing an original stone round-headed opening.

The ground floor begins with the main public entrance, which retains original double timber doors opening into an entrance lobby likewise fitted with original double timber and glazed doors. To the left is a replacement door to basement stairs; to the right is a 20th-century lift. The lobby opens into a centrally-placed main reception area and stair hall with a terrazzo floor and geometric decorative plasterwork to walls and ceiling. Original doors open into several smaller rooms set around all sides—most were interview rooms and offices and retain original decorative finishes including cornices, picture rails, and skirtings, along with some original timber doors. An original WC retains Edwardian brown glazed tiles and original cubicle doors. A dumb waiter is retained in an adjacent room. Beneath a flat plaster stair arch with paired brackets, a wide oak open-well staircase with turned handrails and newel posts rises to upper floors via an ornate first-floor landing.

The first-floor landing is centrally placed with a decorative plaster ceiling and panelled walls. Five original stained oak doors in architraves, some with small-paned overlights, open into rooms placed around all sides. These include double panelled doors with oval windows to the council chamber, set within an ornate plaster surround with a straight pediment. Despite some removal of decorative plasterwork, the council chamber retains much original decorative panelling including central perforated ceiling ventilation, curved plasterwork, coving, a pedimented cornice, and skirtings. The entrance is also ornately treated with a dentilled architrave and segmental pediment. The ante chamber retains decorative joinery including picture rails, architraves and skirtings. An adjacent office with an architrave to a blocked doorway formerly linking to the council chamber likely served as the council leader's office. A store cupboard retains original shelves; one meeting room has a decorative ceiling, coving, picture rail, and deep floorboards in situ.

The attic floor comprises mostly small offices opening off a central stair hall. The central section is a mid-20th-century addition lacking historic fittings or finishes.