The Shire Hall And Corn Exchange

The Shire Hall and Corn Exchange, believed to have been built around 1575, is a significant historical building located on Market Hill. An extract from Loder's Terrier of 1792 states that Mr. Seckford constructed the tile Sessions Hall in Woodbridge, which became the venue for Quarter Sessions, previously held in Melton, and he dedicated the upper part for county use indefinitely.

This building is one storey high and features a stone-coped Dutch gable end topped with a small pediment. The former Corn Exchange, which originally had open arches, has been bricked up with sash windows now installed. The walls are made of red brick, with a moulded cornice at the first-floor level and a band approximately three feet below the eaves. The stone plinth and stone dressings terminate below the band, and the flatter pitch of the main roof compared to the gables at each end suggests that an earlier roof may have existed. The current appearance, including stone steps and railings providing access to Shire Hill at both the east and west ends, likely dates from the 17th century.

On the east end, there are two plaster-lined niches, while the north and south sides feature two bull's-eye plastered panels, each containing a bull's-eye, with the eastern panel now housing a clock face. Evidence of later reconstruction is suggested by the two Seckford Coats of Arms. The wooden coat of arms on the east end displays a crescent in the centre of the quartering, indicating Thomas Seckford's position in the family, while the stone coat of arms on the west end lacks this detail. Additionally, it is recorded that the west end of the Market Hall was leased as a Fire Station for fifty years starting in 1817. The building is recognized as an ancient monument, and all listed buildings in Market Hill form a group around the Shire Hall.