Guildhall And Associated Caves

This is a late 19th-century guildhall, now used as city offices and magistrates' courts, with an associated system of caves. It was built between 1887 and 1888 by Verity & Hunt of London and altered in the mid-20th century. The building is constructed of Darley Dale ashlar and brick, with Westmorland slate roofs and corniced ridge stacks, and is designed in a French Renaissance Revival style.

The exterior features rusticated detailing on the ground floor, a dentillated main cornice, an eaves cornice, and a parapet with pedestals. The windows are mainly plain sashes and casements with stone mullions. The building is two storeys high with a basement and attics, and is five bays wide by five bays long. It occupies a corner site, with a main entrance and return fronts. The entrance front has a projecting centre and projecting end pavilions with pyramidal roofs. A portico, with Doric columns, rusticated piers, and a balustrade, provides access. Above the portico are three tripartite windows with Ionic columns in antis, followed by three smaller tripartite windows. A central dormer features a round window and a pediment with sculpture. The side bays have two windows each; the first-floor windows are round-arched and divided by pilasters. An area wall is present with cast-iron bollards and chains. The pavilions have tripartite windows on each floor and pedimented single dormers. The left return front has a similar design, including a first-floor Ionic portico and three windows in the side bays. At the rear is a five-stage square tower with round-arched bell openings and a balustrade.

The interior largely retains original features, including a foyer with Doric columns, segment-arched openings, and an enriched cross-beam ceiling. A central doorway is flanked by double columns with a pedimented doorcase and bust. Colonnades and cantilevered stone stairs lead to a stairwell with enriched cornices. The first floor contains two courts, mostly original, with inserted ceilings. Original wall panelling, fittings, and a balustraded wooden gallery for the grand jury remain. Court 6 has been extensively altered, with inserted plaster panels, pilasters, and a panelled round-arched recess containing the dock. The office ranges have moulded cornices, fielded panelled doors, and corniced doorcases.

A two-level cave system is accessible via a stone open well stair. The caves are brick-lined and contain passages and cells. The caves were extensively modified during World War II for use as emergency headquarters and air raid shelters.