Shire House

Shire House, formerly known as Shire Hall, is a Grade II listed building located on Market Avenue. It was constructed between 1822 and 1823 by architect William Wilkins and was refaced in 1913. The building is made of red brick with stone dressings and features a Neo-Tudor style, standing two storeys tall.

The façade consists of nine bays arranged in the pattern of 1:1:2:1:2:1:1, with the central bay projecting and the end bays recessed. The central entry is highlighted by a moulded four-centre arch and is flanked by polygonal turrets topped with castellated parapets. Above the entry, there is a three-light "Perpendicular" window. The doors in the penultimate outer bays also have moulded four-centre arches, with the right-side door blocked and replaced by a 20th-century window.

Throughout the building, there are three-light windows featuring cusped arches and square dripmoulds, with the bays defined by the turrets. A stringcourse runs along the first floor, and there is a moulded cornice beneath the castellated parapet, which has small gables above the outer door bays.