Josiah Thomas Memorial Hall

PLAN: the original front section is a shallow ‘U’ shape range with a later extensions added to the north, and a single-storey attached range projecting from the west elevation.

MATERIALS: various types of coloured granite stone with a slate roof and a concrete-rendered range to the rear.

EXTERIOR: the front (south) elevation is a symmetrical front with gables at either end. It is two stories and has three bays consisting of two end bays and a recessed larger central bay with four windows on both floors. The windows in the central bay are two-over-two horned-sashes topped by round arches. The first-floor windows in the gables are paired round-arched sashes set within a large arch with timber, fretwork-decorated spandrels above. The ground floor of the left gable contains a pair of sash windows divided by a granite mullion; the entrance is within the right gable and is a double door under a semicircular overhead light. All of the openings are topped by arches with dark grey granite stone voussoirs, and oversized keystones and quoins of lighter grey granite. There is a dog-tooth dentil course at eaves level. A first-floor sill band and a drip mould run around the front and side elevations of the original stone building encompassing a stone plaque with raised letters reading ‘Josiah Thomas Memorial Hall’. The rear extension has a two-storey flat roof with an attached stack, casement windows, and a side entrance on the east elevation and a smaller two-storey extension on the rear with an external fire escape. The single-storey granite-faced range on the west elevation has a hipped roof, squared horned-sash windows and a chamfered corner wall.

INTERIOR: the conversion of the building to offices and later a health care facility has led to alterations to the internal plan of building. Most of the partitions are stud walls with some internal glazing, and the internal doors are late C20. Some key original features do survive including the original open-string staircase with newel posts decorated by scroll mouldings and ball finials, and the entrance hall with plaster ceiling cornices. There is also a plaque next to the stairs which commemorates the building as a memorial to Josiah Thomas. Secondary glazing has been added to the front ground-floor windows. Suspended ceilings have been inserted, with the original undecorated ceilings surviving above.