The Guildhall And Merchants' Court

The Guildhall and Merchants' Court, originally a guildhall, town court, and Merchant Venturers' Hall with a fishmarket, was constructed in 1655 by Trollope. The building underwent significant alterations, including a refronting in 1794 by Stephenson and Newton, and an extension to the east end in 1823 by Dobson. Further alterations were made during the 19th century. It is now used as a hall, Freeman's Hall, and offices.

The building is constructed of sandstone ashlar with a Welsh slate roof, and features a weatherboarded turret with a lead-covered dome. The building is three storeys high, and composed of a 5-bay entrance block, a linking bay, a 9-bay curving section facing the river, and a further 5 bays to the right. The entrance block displays a Palladian style, with a central projection and a round-arched door flanked by round-headed niches; a continuous ground-floor cornice runs along the facade. Giant Ionic Order pilasters rise above the ground floor, supporting round-arched first-floor windows with flat stone lintels and sills. Sill and impost strings define the first-floor windows, which are blind on the right side. Flat stone lintels and sills characterise the second-floor windows. Most windows are sash windows with glazing bars. A wide, set-back bay to the left has a ground floor framed by pilasters and an entablature featuring a triglyph frieze, with a round-arched window including voussoirs and an apron. Above this is a tripartite sash window and a small top sash, accompanied by a wider cornice and blocking course.

The 9-bay fishmarket, situated on the ground floor, originally featured an unfluted Greek Doric colonnade, which is now blocked. Aproned sashes with glazing inserted in the late 19th century fill the openings. A triglyph frieze runs above. The upper windows are sash windows with glazing bars, within architraves, with those on the first floor set longer and incorporating cornices. A cornice and blocking course tops this section. The five bays to the right of the entrance have added ground-floor projections consisting of Tuscan pilasters with vermiculate lower panels, flanking tripartite aproned sashes, and topped with a cornice and parapet. The upper floors have sash windows in plain reveals, finished with a top cornice and blocking course.

The hipped roof is punctuated by an octagonal turret with a low dome and a wind-vane finial. Rendered chimneys are present, some with ashlar cornices. The flat, two-storey river front features an arcaded ground floor and an upper floor with a Roman Doric Order. The windows are round-headed, with intricate interlace heads on the first floor.

The interior includes a court with a double hammerbeam roof and rusticated galleries. The Mayor's parlour has panelled walls, with some panels depicting local scenes. The Merchant Venturers' Court was rebuilt by Dobson and incorporates a large 17th-century chimney piece with a carved overmantel. A niche in the staircase holds a statue of Charles I dressed in a Roman tunic.