Shire Hall

Shire Hall is a large Gothic building located on a hill, set back from the street. Designed by W B Moffat, it was constructed between 1855 and 1858 in the Perpendicular style. The south front features a central gabled entrance that projects from a cross range at the rear, with gables rising above crenellated parapets and three turrets on each side. The building is made of white lias with Ham stone dressings and has slate roofs. It is mostly two storeys high, with attics in the turrets and gables. Architectural details include buttresses, crenellated parapets, and one, two, and three light windows with traceried heads. The entrance front has a projecting oriel with openwork parapets, supported by an archway that surrounds the main entrance. Attached shafts lead to brackets under a balconette, flanking the heavily moulded segmental entrance arch. Above the massive double doors, there is a heraldic device and parchment scrolls. An oculus with stellar tracery is located in the gable, and a subsidiary wing in a similar style is positioned to the left.