Old County Hall

Old County Hall is a county hall built between 1910 and 1912 by T.B. Silcock. The building is constructed of dressed elvan stone with granite dressings and features dry Delabole slate roofs along with dressed stone axial and gable stacks. It has a large plan that encloses two small courtyards, with a central council chamber, and is designed in a classical style. The structure is two storeys high over a basement and has a symmetrical entrance front with a 1:4:1:4:1 bay arrangement.

The single bays are accentuated by quoin strips that are set forward and topped with triangular pediments. Moulded stone parapets are located between the bays, and the basement plinth is made of rock-faced granite. The windows include segmental-arched four-pane sashes, and all windows have twelve-pane sashes set within moulded stone square-headed architraves, with hoods above the first-floor openings. The single bays feature open pediments over the first-floor windows and round arches above the second-floor windows. The central entrance bay is highlighted by a bowed porch supported by Tuscan columns and has a balustrade on the parapet. A central cupola with open pediments crowns the building.

Inside, where inspected, the hall retains many original features, including an open-well staircase with heavy turned balusters, vaulted ceilings in the corridors, and parquet floors.