Town Hall, Townfoot

1854-57 (dated 1855). Imposing 2-storey and garret, crowstep-gabled, corbelled and turreted Scottish-Baronial Town Hall with 3-bay, segmental-arched and balustraded arcade to recessed entrance porch occupying critical corner site at heart of village. Squared and snecked whinstone rubble with pale sandstone ashlar dressings. Coped ashlar basecourse; discontinuous roll-moulded eaves course. Long and short quoins; irregular fenestration with tabbed and roll-moulded margins. Square-cap finials to gables.

PRINCIPAL (W) ELEVATION: 3-bay entrance flanked by slightly advanced crow-step gabled outer bays with stepped drip-moulds and finials. To centre: recessed segmental-arched, balustraded entrance porch with 2-leaf timber panelled door flanked by windows within arcade. Carved date panel and elaborate monogram above. Heavily machicolated parapet with 5 'canon' waterspouts and shouldered gablet to centre with fleur-de-lys finial. Gable to right with 2 bartizans: 2-stage circular turret corbelled out above ground floor to left and corbelled to octagon at 2nd stage; round turret corbelled out at 1st floor to right with conical, ball-finialled roof. Left gable curved at ground and corbelled out to broad square at 1st floor.

FURTHER DESCRIPTION: gabled 3-bay N and S elevations, both with segmental-arched windows at 1st floor and single garret window above. Rear (E) elevation: gabled outshot to right with corbelled former chimney stack to centre and later lean-to entrance addition to right. Further, single-storey slated outshot adjoins to left. Behind, late 20th century brick built lift addition with monopitch and lean-to roof sections adjoining rear central gable to main body of Hall (not visible from road). Castellated SE corner wall returning to S elevation.

INTERIOR: square stairwell to right of entrance bay with decorative cast-iron balusters and hardwood handrail. Main hall at 1st floor with giant corbels with moulded foliage design supporting arched A-frame timber ceiling. Massive 2-leaf timber door with shallow arch dividing 2 rooms at ground floor right. Reading room to ground floor left.

6, 8 and 12 pane glazing in timber sash and case windows. Grey slate in diminishing courses. Cast-iron rainwater goods with hoppers.