King Georges Hall

King George's Hall

Public halls, now halls and cafe. Built 1913-21, designed by Brigg, Wolstenholme and Thornley, with slight later alterations. Sandstone ashlar with slate roof concealed by parapet. Large rectangular plan on a north-south axis, occupying a corner site at the junction of Northgate with Blakey Moor.

The building is designed in classical style with three storeys and an attic. The principal facade is symmetrical with a 1:3:1 bay arrangement and cavetto corners. The ground floor is rusticated, while the two principal floors are treated as a giant order. The central three bays feature a set-in loggia at ground floor level and above this a set-in colonnade of four pairs of Corinthian columns. A frieze and modillioned cornice runs around the entire building, with parapets to the outer bays and a blocking course to the centre (behind which stands a taller parapet to the attic storey).

The ground floor has a plinth with boldly modelled channelled rustication. The centre features an arcade of three round-headed arches with run-out voussoirs. Each outer bay contains a round-headed blank arch with cavetto reveal, containing a square-headed doorway with moulded architrave and cornice. A moulded cornice runs around this level.

On the upper floors, the centre has three tall windows with corniced architraves, surmounted by bulls-eye windows with carved surrounds. The outer bays each have broad panelled giant pilasters framing a window in an architrave of Tuscan semi-columns with triglyph entablature and mutule cornice. Above each of these is a large aedicule with figure supporters emblematic of war (to the right) and peace (to the left).

The right-hand return facade on Northgate is symmetrical with a 3:5:3 window composition. The centre contains three large round-headed arches matching those on the front, flanked by segmental-headed windows with triple keystones. At first floor, three tall windows with Tuscan architraves are surmounted by putti supporting bulls-eye windows, flanked by smaller windows with simpler architraves. The outer bays break forwards slightly, with segmental-headed windows set low at ground floor with triple keystones, and square windows above. The upper floors have giant Corinthian semi-columns distyle in antis framing tall corniced windows at first floor and square windows above. The right-hand end of this facade now has a glazed link-bridge entering the centre window at first floor level. All windows feature margin panes.

Interior

The very large main hall is located at first floor level and is almost square in plan. A three-sided balcony projects from side aisles formed by large piers with panelled pilasters and egg-and-dart cornices, continuing around the south end. A continuous dentilled cornice runs to the side walls, with coving beneath a segmental-arched ceiling. Very large suspended three-stage cylindrical glass lamps illuminate the space. At the north end stands a stage with a fine full-width oak organ case in Wren style, presented by two aldermen in memory of their sons and other Blackburn sons fallen during the First World War 1914-18.

The lower floor hall has been recently altered by the insertion of a cafe at balcony level.

Setting

The building forms a group with the Police Station and Magistrates Courts, which are linked to the north end of the Northgate facade.