The Shire Hall

The Shire Hall is a large public building dating from 1797, designed by Thomas Hardwick. It is constructed from Portland ashlar stone. The building has two storeys and seven windows, with the central three bays projecting forward. The ground floor of the central bay features three round-arched openings with rusticated reveals, double doors, transoms, and fanlights, above which are sash windows. A cornice and pediment adorn the upper section. The side bays incorporate round-headed windows on the ground floor. Parapets run along the roofline, and a continuous cornice and string course run across the facade. An inscription detailing distances to Hyde Park Corner, Blandford, and Bridport is carved into the east end of the front. A tablet commemorates the Tolpuddle Martyrs, who were sentenced here in 1834. A red brick side elevation incorporates a moulded modillion eaves cornice and six windows with glazing bars. A rainwater head bears the date "1797."

The interior preserves the courtroom largely as it was during the trial of the Tolpuddle Martyrs. Original features include a wooden dock, bench, jury box, witness box, and public galleries.

The Shire Hall forms part of a group of buildings including numbers 48 to 65A (inclusive), Holy Trinity Church, the Museum, St. Peter’s Church, and a monument to William Barnes in the adjacent churchyard.