The Old Town Hall And Attached Piers And Railings

The Old Town Hall and attached piers and railings is a former town hall, now offices, built in 1836 and altered in the mid-20th century, designed by William Adams Nicholson of Lincoln. It is constructed of ashlar with hipped slate roofs and various stacks and is built in the Greek Revival style.

The building has a plinth, rusticated ground floor, string course, cornice, and blocking course. It is two storeys high with a basement, and has a 3-window by 4-window facade. Most windows are 12-pane sashes of various sizes. The front has a projecting central bay with a single window above which is a raised parapet containing a clock face on scrolls in a central panel. Flanking this are single windows, all with projecting surrounds and cornices on consoles. Below is a tetrastyle Greek Doric portico with a full entablature, covering a central glazed double door flanked by 4-pane windows with overlights. Steps flanked by a spiked railing, supported by square ashlar piers with flat caps, lead to the front entrance, while steps to the basement are located at either end.

The returns have a single first-floor window with a projecting surround and cornice on consoles, with a shallow square bay window with pilasters and a tripartite sash below. The rear ranges are set back, with three first-floor windows having linked cornices and recessed panels below. The left return has three windows on the ground floor. The right return has a recessed door with a recessed panel and a small 9-pane window above it, a small window, then two 12-pane windows. Beyond this is a coped yard wall, with two doors to the left and two small windows to the right. To the right of the wall is a three-story rear range with a coped ridge stack. The rear range has single windows on the upper floors and a blocked carriage entrance with a wooden lintel and inserted small casement on the ground floor.

The interior includes an entrance hall with plaster wall panels and a cross beam carried on two Doric columns. The stairwell has a moulded cross beam ceiling with a skylight and a dogleg staircase with turned wooden balusters. The rooms have moulded doorcases and fielded 4-panel doors. A transverse council chamber features a guilloche frieze, moulded cornice, and panelled ceiling with rosettes, with windows featuring enriched surrounds and cornices on consoles. A central entrance has a panelled recess, moulded surround, and cornice on consoles, with double panelled doors. Smaller single doors are set on either side with similar surrounds. Fittings include a panelled wooden war memorial dating from around 1920. An ante room has an enriched cornice and a plain marble fireplace. The front ground-floor rooms have moulded cornices and mid-20th century ashlar fireplaces.