The Town Hall

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 15/08/2017

TQ 8109 SE 13/10027

HASTINGS QUEENS ROAD The Town Hall

(Formerly listed as The Town Hall, HASTINGS)

II Town hall. Circa 1880 in Early English style making clever use of an awkward triangular site. Built of snecked stone rubble with ashlar dressings, granite colonnettes and tiled roof. Queens Road frontage or south elevation of two storeys, three windows. Parapet with floral decoration and central pediment with cross-shaped saddlestone and tall central rose window above paired lancets with colonnettes. Stone balcony on large stone brackets. Other first floor windows are paired round-headed windows divided by colonnettes.

First floor Council Chamber has stained glass windows with shields and floral motifs. Ground floor has two paired trefoliated windows and central arched entrance with triple granite colonnettes. East elevation has large first floor canted bay with central rose window to Council Chamber with bellcote to right hand side. The east elevation has a series of five gables to the left where the building is of three storeys and one storey to the right with tall arcading with quatrefoils and some mullioned and transomed windows. On this front are a series of interesting carved stone panels depicting "Hastings Fishermen boarding French Pirates", "Landing of the French and their Defeat", "Queen Elizabeth Granting the Charter to the Corporation" and "Cinque Port Ships Going to meet the Armada". North elevation is asymmetrical with linked components with separate doors varying from one to three storeys, including part with tall round-headed openings with quatrefoils and arched doorcase with Hastings Coat of Arms, a further section to the right of two storeys with full-height canted bay window, a two storey part with oriel, gable and arched doorcase, now window and a corner three storey section with gable and double round-headed sash to second floor and corner tower.

INTERIOR: Arch-braced ceiling to ground floor. Imperial staircase with stone quatrefoil balustrade, marble handrail, newel posts of clustered marble colonnettes and marble dado panels. Heraldic windows with shields and roses to main staircase and Council Chamber. Council Chamber also has Baronial style fireplace with griffins, tiled panels and colonnettes, dado panelling and arch-braced roof Mayor's Parlour has original fireplace with tiled surround and there is also a tiled fireplace to Committee Room 1. World War I Memorial in form of large panelled wall plaque to first floor.

Listing NGR: TQ8173609489