County Hall Main Entrance Block

1. 1260 ST HELEN'S STREET (South Side)

County Hall Main entrance block TM 1644 NE 2/319

II

1. An early C19 grey gault brick building formerly the courthouse, now the Shire Hall. The C18 gaol stood at the rear (now demolished). It was designed by W McIntosh Brooks in 1836, in the Tudor style. Its powerful design well characterises its original purpose. The frontage is about 150 ft long, with a central entrance, block with twin castellated tower, castellated side wings and 2 slightly projecting end pavilions. The central entrance block has sham machicolations and a stone mullioned and transomed window, casements with glazing bars, in splayed stone reveals. The windows in the towers have stone hood moulds. A central entrance door has heavy double doors, each of 8 panels with a heavy portcullis grille above, set in a 4 centred moulded brick arch. The side wings are unfenestrated apart from 4 heavily barred windows low down in the east wing. The end pavilions have 4 centred arched windows with splayed stone reveals and hood moulds on the ground storey and stone mullioned and transomed windows with splayed stone reveals on the 1st storey. A moulded stone string course runs across the wings and end pavilions, with a central carved stone coat of arms in each wing. The front rises above a deep battered stone plinth. A shield above the entrance doors bears the date 1837.

Listing NGR: TM1684944528