Guildhall

The Guildhall, dated 1757, was designed by Henry Keene and constructed at the expense of the Earl of Shelburne. It stands on the site of a Guildhall from 1604. This building features two storeys with an open arcaded ground floor and is symmetrically designed on the east, west, and north elevations. The exterior is made of red brick with a stone string course at the first-floor level. It has a bracketed stone cornice with a blocking course and a hipped old tiled roof topped with a delicate octagonal cupola supported by slender Roman Doric columns on scroll supports. The cupola frames round-headed openings and supports a broken entablature, topped with a small dome and a wrought iron weather vane. Each front, except the south, has a central motif with a slight projection and pediment, featuring a round-headed central sash window in a stone surround with a cornice and a dummy balustrade under the sill. Each front has a total of five sashes with glazing bars and flat arches over the side windows. The Guildhall, positioned at right angles to the High Street, significantly enhances the street scene. It is also a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The Guildhall is part of a group that includes Nos 1 to 5 (consecutive), The Little Market House, and premises occupied by Midland Bank and The Falcon Hotel.