Harpenden Hall (District Council Offices)

Harpenden Hall, located on Southdown Road in Harpenden, is a house that dates back to the 16th century at its northern end, which was recased in the mid-17th century, and extended to the south in the late 17th century. The building is constructed of dark red brick, with the northern ground floor featuring a chequered pattern of flint and red brick. It has a plain tile roof and stands two storeys tall with attics.

The northern section includes a broad gabled cross wing with a two-storey gabled porch, both adorned with a moulded brick band at the first floor level. The gable end features 17th-century openings on both the ground and first floors, fitted with three-light casements. The porch has an arched entrance with a thin brick hood moulding. There is a large external chimney stack at the northern end, which has an ovolo cornice.

On the southern side, there are four regularly spaced windows, with those on the ground floor featuring elliptical relieving arches and 19th-century sash windows. A moulded brick floor band and a 20th-century wooden cornice are present. The building also has two late-17th-century dormers with 20th-century casements. The porch contains an early-19th-century reeded door surround. The southern elevation includes a two-window section from the 17th century, followed by a large early-20th-century extension made of brick and flint, which also has sash windows and casement dormers.

Inside, the northern end features a mid-17th-century staircase with re-set turned balusters, while the southern end boasts a notable late-17th-century open-well staircase with tapering balusters and large shaped finials.