Former Corn Exchange And Public Hall

HERTFORD

TL3212NE FORE STREET 817-1/17/69 (North side) 12/04/73 No.37 Former Corn Exchange and Public Hall

GV II

Includes: Nos.2-8 MARKET STREET. Former Corn Exchange and Public Hall, now subdivided with ground floor shops with frontage to Market Street, with first floor hall accessible from Fore Street entrance. 1857-59, Architect William Hill of Leeds, altered 1979-80. Ashlar front, red brick flank (west) elevation, Welsh slated and glazed roof. EXTERIOR: 2-storey, 3-bay front to Fore Street in modified classical style, with pediment and entablature surround on giant modified Tuscan Doric pilasters set upon tall plinths, left and right, with intermediate Corinthian pilasters. 3 first floor arched windows, with inner window separated from outer by Tuscan antae, with moulded extrados, and keyblock connecting to intrados of outer arch, supported on pilasters with carved ornamental outer keyblocks. Fretted stone panels below windows. Ground floor 2 triple windows, separated by antae, with flanking pilasters, above projecting panelled plinths. Central doorway with tall twin leaf 10 panelled doors. Fascia carries raised inscription 'Corn Exchange and Public Hall' Pediment with central circular-framed carved panel shows the Hertfordshire hart against a background of sacks of corn (originally flanked by carved foliated scrollwork removed during a mid C20 refacing of the stonework) Carved bases and plinth, left and right and central above pediment originally carried carved urns, and the figure of Ceres, Goddess of the harvest, which were removed early in the Second World War as potential hazards in the event of air raids, and were never replaced. West flank elevation to Market Street originally blank; the street was cut through in 1890, involving the demolition of part of the adjoining block to the west (now Nos 25-35 Fore Street, qv) when the covered market (Architect Reginald Blomfield) was constructed to the rear of the Corn Exchange. The covered market was demolished 1979, and redeveloped as small shop units, and the ground floor of the Corn Exchange was converted to 4 shops, Nos 2-8 Market Street; the upper floor was converted to a hall with lecture studio and committee room. INTERIOR: coved ceiling and iron trussed roof remains visible

in the main hall. The Corn Exchange replaced a more modest building, constructed in the early 1840s. Prior to this, dealing in corn took place at the back of Shire Hall. (Hertfordshire Countryside: Moodey G: Old buildings in the County Town: Letchworth: 1946-1973: 46; The Buildings of England: Pevsner N: Hertfordshire: Harmondsworth: 1977-: 186; Green L: Hertford's Past in pictures: Ware: 1993-: 10, 12; Felstead A: Directory of British Architects 1834-1900: London: 1993-: 445).

Listing NGR: TL3275012628