The Old Town Hall

The Old Town Hall, now subdivided into shop units, was built in 1866 by Frederick Barnes of Ipswich. It is an example of the Italianate style. The building is constructed of polychrome brick, with the ground storey primarily of gault brick and the upper storey mainly red. Decorative bands of ornamental brick are present at the first floor and beneath the eaves, incorporating polychrome and moulded brickwork. Corner piers are rusticated for their upper half. Parapet gables feature oversailing brick courses beneath a coping, with gault brick chimneys at each gable’s head. The building has two storeys and five windows. The ground floor has groups of three narrow sashes with border panes. Above, sashes are recessed within heavy round-arched frames of gault brick. A central entrance archway has round-arched heads and imposts, set within a projecting square frame with various brick enrichments. Recessed glazed doors are housed within a glazed wooden screen. A stone tablet above the entrance is inscribed with the date of construction, the patron, the architect, and the builder.