Guildhall

This outstanding civic ensemble combines one of the finest mid-Georgian town halls with a remarkable late Victorian extension. The original Guildhall was built between 1775 and 1778 to designs by Thomas Baldwin, with major extensions added between 1893 and 1897 by John McKean Brydon, including sculpture by George Alfred Lawson. The complex now functions as the Town Hall with Municipal Offices, Council Chamber, Mayor's Parlour and associated civic spaces.

Historical Background

The story of the original building's conception is notable: Baldwin was working as assistant to the City Architect, Thomas Warr Atwood, when Atwood died before he could execute his own design for the Guildhall. This gave the 25-year-old Baldwin his opportunity. The original appearance of Baldwin's Guildhall with its screen wings is recorded in Thomas Malton's 1788 drawing and numerous subsequent views.

By the 1890s, the building had become inadequate for the city's needs. As a plaque on the south side of Brydon's extension states: "These municipal buildings were rendered necessary by the large increase of public business since the erection of the central building." A competition was held in 1891, assessed by William Young. Brydon's successful design was altered in 1892 following various criticisms before construction began. The Technical Schools were added to the left (north) and Municipal Offices to the right (south) of the original building between 1893 and 1897. This extension was conceived on an imperial scale, demonstrating Bath's prosperity and confidence at the end of the 19th century.

Construction and Materials

The entire complex is built of limestone ashlar to all elevations, with extensive carving and rustication. The roofs are almost entirely hidden from the street, though small areas of Welsh slate are visible together with lead-covered domes. The building features ashlar chimney stacks with weathering.

Plan and Layout

The original rectangular block of 1775-1778 stands at the centre, with Brydon's wings running the full length of the east side of High Street. The south wing returns into Orange Grove to meet the Old Police Station, while the north return on Bridge Street forms the Victoria Art Gallery of 1898-1901.

The rear (east) of the first floor is occupied by the Banqueting Hall. Behind the portico in the centre front lies the Common Council Room. A grand staircase occupies the south-west corner, with a service stair on the north side. The attic storey included offices for various Council officials such as the Clerk and the Surveyor.

Baldwin's Original Guildhall (1775-1778)

Front Elevation

The façade follows Palladian principles with a rusticated basement and ground storey, and a piano nobile with a giant Ionic order rising through the attic to a central pediment. The composition is of two storeys and attics, five bays arranged one-two-one. The central three bays project forward on the ground storey and carry the giant order.

The central entrance is approached by steps and has double panelled doors with a fanlight. This doorway and the flanking windows have arched heads with eight-over-eight sashes. Fine contemporary wrought iron railings feature fleur-de-lys finials and vases on the main posts, supporting four handsome lanterns. The basement windows have twelve-over-eight late 18th-century sashes.

At first-floor level, the central windows have architraves and cornice heads, while the flanking windows sit in arched recesses with pedimented heads on console brackets and Vitruvian scroll decoration at impost level. All windows are twelve-over-twelve sashes with balustraded aprons. Attic windows appear only in the centre bay, with architraves and eight-over-four sashes.

A full entablature supports the pediment, which contains the swagged City arms. Vases and a lead statue of Justice crown the pediment. Swagged panels appear in the flanking attic bays, with balustrade panels in the parapet above. Short returns with long-and-short quoins are masked by the later wings. The roof is not visible except for a saucer dome added by Brydon in 1893.

Rear Elevation

The rear elevation presents a fine design, built as originally intended except for the later addition of external double glazing to the first-floor windows. It comprises two storeys and an attic, seven bays arranged two-three-two, with the outer bays projecting forward and carrying pediments.

The rusticated ground storey has seven recessed twelve-over-twelve sashes with dropped keystone heads. Wrought iron railings protect the area, which has five twelve-over-eight basement sashes. The first floor has twelve-over-twelve sashes with external cross-framed double glazing. The three central bays are framed by Composite pilasters with a pediment over a false central window that fronts a fireplace. Windows have balustraded aprons with a moulded string course above.

The attic windows provide clerestory lighting to the Banqueting Room. These are oval lights set in rectangular panels. The central bay has a panel with carved festoons. A balustraded parapet runs between the pediments, crowned by four vases and a central Roman altar which serves as a chimney.

Brydon's Extensions (1893-1897)

North Wing (Technical Schools) and South Wing (Municipal Offices)

The matching extensions on either side of Baldwin's original building continue the main horizontal lines and many design features of the earlier front, but introduce a heavier, more Baroque character. The south wing has an additional four bays fronting Orange Grove, while the north wing was later (1898) extended along Bridge Street as the Public Library and Victoria Art Gallery.

The complete composition, excluding the Victoria Art Gallery, runs one-three-one-four-five-four-one-three-one-three-one from north to south, totalling twenty-six bays (of which five are Baldwin's and the rest Brydon's). The wings have three storeys (not all expressed), attics and basements.

Single bays on either side project forward and are capped by belvederes. The paired three-bay sections curve to the street corners and carry a giant Corinthian order. The rusticated ground storey has arched windows with six-over-nine sashes. The towers feature heavy Baroque doorways with blocked Tuscan half-column surrounds and panelled double doors. Stone balustrades protect the areas, which have seven four-over-eight sashes in segmental heads to either wing. Bay nine contains a larger arched entry to the Guildhall Market with handsome wrought iron gates.

The first floor has four-over-four sashes. Those flanking Baldwin's building have segmental pediments, while those in the towers match Baldwin's windows with pediments on console brackets. Attic windows appear only in the curved sections, again matching Baldwin's design.

Between the first and second-floor windows runs a band of relief sculpture by George Alfred Lawson. At the north end, these symbolic figures represent the Sciences, Arts and various branches of Learning appropriate to the Technical Schools. At the south end, they symbolise aspects of the legal system and the administration of the City of Bath. Balustraded parapets top the composition.

The towers are crowned by open two-stage Neo-Baroque belvederes. The square first stage has rusticated arched openings framed by blocked Ionic half-columns and supported on consoles. The octagonal second stage has round openings and is crowned by a lead dome and vase.

Orange Grove Elevation

The final five bays of the south wing fronting Orange Grove form a balanced one-three-one composition with a recessed centre. All features follow the established pattern. Considered separately, this section has design and detail similarities to the Old Prison in Grove Street. This may be fortuitous, or may represent a conscious reference by Brydon to Thomas Warr Atwood, its designer, who as City Architect died before he could build his own design for the Guildhall, thus giving his 25-year-old assistant Baldwin his opportunity.

Side and Rear Elevations

The end and rear elevations of the 1893 wings are all ashlar-faced with three storeys throughout and sash windows variously arranged. The sides flanking Baldwin's building are very plain with simple reveals to all windows, plain parapets and invisible roofs. A further small domed cupola and two louvred ventilators are visible. The ground floor of the north wing is obscured by the market building.

Interior

The interiors are of considerable splendour and quality. In Baldwin's building, the entrance vestibule, staircase, old Council Room and Banqueting Room all display high-quality finishes with excellent joinery, plasterwork, ironwork (particularly the staircase balustrade) and fireplaces.

Banqueting Room

The Banqueting Room features a fluted Corinthian order around the walls and three particularly fine crystal chandeliers. It has been described as "without question the finest interior in Bath, and a masterpiece of late eighteenth-century decoration," with telling comparisons made to John Wood the Younger's finest interiors in the Assembly Rooms.

Brydon's Interiors

The interiors of the Municipal Buildings of 1893 include an excellent upper stone-vaulted corridor leading to Committee Rooms, the Mayor's Parlour (in the Neo-Georgian taste) and the Council Chamber. The north wing interiors are utilitarian, befitting a Technical School. The passageway to the Market is stone-vaulted on small Tuscan columns, with scrolled panel surrounds and encaustic tiles to the walls.