Borough Buildings Including Guildhall, Roysse's School and Gateway at West End of Guildhall is a Grade II listed building in the Vale of White Horse local planning authority area, England. First listed on 19 January 1951. L-shaped block.

Borough Buildings Including Guildhall, Roysse's School and Gateway at West End of Guildhall

WRENN ID
turning-spindle-azure
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
Vale of White Horse
Constituency
Oxford West and Abingdon MP: Layla Moran (LD)
Country
England
Date first listed
19 January 1951
Type
L-shaped block
Address
Borough Buildings Including Guildhall, Roysse's School and Gateway at West End of Guildhall, Abingdon on Thames
OS grid reference
SU 498 970
Coordinates
51.67014, -1.28054
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Borough Buildings, which include the Guildhall, Roysse's School, and a gateway at the west end of the Guildhall, form an L-shaped block. The eastern end of the west wing is located on the site of the chapel of St John's Hospital. The eastern side has been modernized, and there is a modern external staircase on the west side.

The historic part of the building features the Guildhall on the ground floor, which was once used as a courtroom. It has origins dating back to the 15th century, but much of the original panelling has been stripped, columns removed, and the space restored and modernized. The building was raised by one storey in 1733 to create a room that was converted into the Council Chambers in 1759. There is also a Committee Room from the 18th century that has a good window.

Roysse's School, established in 1563, was originally part of St John's Hospital. This section is timber-framed from the 16th century, featuring 17th to 18th century panelling and a later vaulted plaster ceiling, which is divided into panels adorned with flowers and fruit swags. The school has modern armorial stained glass and underwent repairs in 1911. Modern display cases at the dais end hold the town plate.

Local climate

Borough Buildings Including Guildhall, Roysse's School and Gateway at West End of Guildhall sits in a drier-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 730 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 78% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 69% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 32 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 59% of listed buildings. Of these, 14 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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Nearby listed buildings

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  3. Roysses Court Grade II 31 m
  4. 3, Stert Street Grade II 47 m
  5. 5 and 7, Bridge Street Grade II 48 m
  6. 5 and 7, Stert Street Grade II 55 m
  7. Cobbled Courtyard at the Crown and Thistle Hotel Grade II 55 m
  8. 17 AND 18, MARKET PLACE (See details for further address information) Grade II 58 m
  9. 7, Abbey Close Grade II 61 m
  10. Old Abbey House and walls to Abbey Close and Trendell's Garden Grade II 64 m