Corn Exchange And Town Hall

The Corn Exchange and Town Hall, originally built as a market hall and town hall between 1852 and 1854 by Sampson Sage and E. Robertson of Swindon, was later extended as a corn exchange in 1866 by Wilson and Willcox of Bath. The building is constructed of ashlar stone, with the roof not visible. The corn exchange features a two-storey design with five bays, which are divided by giant Tuscan pilasters. The ground floor is rusticated with arched openings between the pilasters, originally open but now fitted with 20th-century shop windows. The first floor has casement windows with lugged architraves, and there is a moulded panel over the entablature and pediment above the three central bays, which encloses a roundel. A balustrade square lantern with a cornice and arch houses a bell.

The 1866 extensions include the corn exchange at the rear, situated on a triangular site, and a tower to the left of the town hall facade. The tower is made of rock-faced stone with ashlar dressings and consists of four stages, featuring ground floor Ionic columns in antis. The windows on the first and second floors have architraves, while the top level includes open Venetian windows and corner Corinthian pilasters above the clock chamber. The tower is topped with a cornice, balustrade, and a square dome adorned with iron openwork crestings. The corn exchange at the rear has an arcaded elevation and is a single storey with a roof balustrade. The interior is not of special interest, and plans for the building are held in the British Architectural Library.