County Hall

County Hall is a 17th-century building of fine classical design, located at the rear of a courtyard. Constructed of stone, the single-storeyed facade features three large round-headed windows with stone mullioned rectangular frames, pilasters between the windows, and Tuscan columns at each corner. Splendid stone doorcases are surmounted by entablatures with segmental pediments, each enclosed by a voluted broken pediment; these frame semi-circular arched doorways with multi-panelled divided doors. A stylobate of four steps leads to the entrance, and the building is topped with a moulded eaves cornice and an open balustrade, above a hipped slate roof. The interior includes a plain Court Room, now the Crown Court, containing a monument to F N Clarage Mundy, featuring a bust by Chantrey dated 1820. The building is believed to be the setting of Betty Sorrel’s trial in George Eliot’s novel "Adam Bede".