Shirehampton Public Hall and Library

Shirehampton Public Hall and Library

A public hall and library built in 1904, designed by the architect Frederick Bligh Bond in Queen Anne revivalist style and constructed by C A Hayes. The mid- to late-20th century additions to the rear elevation are excluded from the listing.

The building is constructed of squared and coursed Lias stone with ashlar dressings to the ground floor. The first floor, gable-end stacks and upper stages of the clock tower are roughcast. The hipped and gabled roofs are covered in Cornish slate tiles, while the tower roof has bands of slate and red-stone tiles. Timber sash windows feature wooden glazing bars, and hopperheads and downpipes are cast iron.

The plan is roughly rectangular, comprising projecting front wings to either side of a central lobby, with a lateral open-plan hall to the rear. The library occupies the south-west end of the hall. A single-storey toilet block to the hall and a single-storey library extension to the rear south-east elevation are not of special interest.

The principal north-west elevation is arranged as a single-storey, three-bay range with a projecting central porch, flanked by two-storey, single-bay symmetrical wings with hipped roofs and gable-end stacks. Behind rises the pitched roof of the hall with two flat-roofed dormer windows and a central square louvered lantern with swept pyramidal roof. The central porch features a pair of half-glazed panelled doors within a moulded architrave with a keystone depicting the Green Man. Above is a wide segmental open pediment with modillion cornice, supported on console brackets. The tympanum contains a keyed oculus with ornate avant-garde carvings and glass panels to either side. The central panel to the parapet carries the raised inscription 'SHIREHAMPTON PUBLIC HALL 1904'. To either side of the porch are four-light four-over-four sash windows with modillion cornices above. The flanking wings have tripartite windows to both ground and first floors, with the central section of the first-floor windows forming bowed oriels. A modillion cornice runs to the eaves. The inscribed foundation stone is located to the bottom left of the left-hand wing. Attached to the right-hand wing is a single-storey flat-roofed range with four-over-four and six-over-six sash windows.

The south-west elevation features a three-storey clock tower to the right of the flat-roofed range. At the tower base is the library entrance, reached via a ramp and arranged as a round-headed doorway with panelled doors beneath a broken-triangular pediment supported on console brackets. The second stage has a round-headed stair window, and the third stage has pairs of louvered round-headed belfry windows with aprons on all four sides. A modillion eaves cornice with console brackets at the corners is surmounted by an ogee-shaped roof bearing a clock face on each of the four sides and a weather vane at the pinnacle. To the right of the tower, the two-storey library wing projects forward of the hall. Its north-west wall is blank, and it has a flat-roofed dormer and ridge stack. The south-west swept gable-end features a four-light nine-over-nine sash window arrangement to the ground floor, framed by offset buttresses. The first floor has a tripartite window with the central window forming a bowed oriel supported on a console bracket.

The rear south-east elevation of the hall was not inspected but is understood to contain two clerestorey windows, a nine-over-nine sash window and two flat-roofed dormers. The north-east elevation comprises the gable end of the hall with a pair of panelled doors with fanlight above, flanked by pairs of sash windows. Above is a five-light bowed oriel window and a keyed oculus to the gable. To the right, the side elevation of the north-east wing has a set-forward entrance porch with raised parapet, two sash windows above, and an eight-over-eight sash window. Beneath this window is a relieving arch to a blocked basement window. A buttress supports the gable-end stack.

Interior features include a pair of panelled and glazed doors with margin lights and glazing above leading into the lobby. To either side of the lobby is a ticket desk comprising hatches with shutters and counters. The central section has a barreled ceiling with moulded cornice, and above the panelled doors to the hall is a segmental pediment between cornice and ceiling. A dogleg staircase stands at either end of the lobby, with the north-east example featuring decorative cast-iron balusters. A series of rooms occupy the north-west side of the lobby. The porch and lobby have a dark blue and white tiled floor. The hall has a barrel-vaulted roof and parquet floor, with basket-arched recesses housing original ventilating radiators. The south-west end contains a panelled stage with steps to either side, while the north-west end has a gallery accessed via the north-east lobby staircase. The gallery contains six rows of fixed folding chairs with armrests, and square recesses with ventilated radiators occupy the back corners.

The north-east wing houses former caretaker's accommodation. The ground floor former living room, now a meeting room, has a fitted cupboard and mid-20th century electric fireplace. The entrance hall provides access to the basement and a staircase to the first-floor former bedroom, now used as an office, which retains a cast-iron fireplace. The first floor at the south-west end incorporates the clock tower with a hatch to the ceiling providing access to the belfry.

The library has a separate public entrance at the base of the tower, with its porch having a further doorway to the public hall. The south-east wall has been removed to provide access to the single-storey extension. The wooden counter originally on the south-west wall and the fireplace in the north-east wall have been removed. A staircase with turned balusters leads to the former children's library on the first floor, with a panelled door on the half landing. The first-floor room, which no longer forms part of the library, has a panelled and glazed partition wall to the former librarian's area, a fitted cupboard and a doorway to the public hall.

Throughout the interior are panelled doors, moulded cornices, and beaded dados and skirting boards.