Hayward Hall, St John Street

Hayward Hall is a public building constructed in the later 19th century, with additions made in the 20th century. It features a two-storey, four-bay L-plan design in the Gothic style, with the main hall facing the street and offices and accommodation located above. At the rear, there is a single-storey hall that has a later rendered flat roof extension filling the re-entrant angle.

The building includes a prominent three-storey gabled bay with exaggerated crowstepping and carved detailing on the right side. It has Y-tracery arched windows and timber bipartite pointed windows in rectangular dormers, which are adorned with pierced gothic bargeboards and slated cheeks. The exterior is made of coursed rubble with smooth chamfered and rock-faced margins and quoins. The gabled bay features a shouldered arched entrance door and windows, with an arched hoodmould over the door and a shaped hoodmould above the first-floor bipartite window. There are small later 20th-century additions for access on either side.

The building has timber sash and case windows with lying panes, some of which are made of reeded glass, and a timber boarded door. The pitched roof is covered with grey slates and includes stone skews, louvered triangular ventilators, a circular ridge ventilator, and large mushroom ventilators at the eaves. Wrought iron finials and cast-iron downpipes complete the exterior.

Inside, the main spaces have been altered, featuring false ceilings and subdivisions that disrupt the internal layout's coherence. However, the upper floor retains its original layout of flatted accommodation, complete with six-panel doors and plain fireplaces. A timber glazed screen remains behind the crowstepped gable, creating a separate office space.