The County Hall

Large rectangular hall building in simple Renaissance style. Of limestone rubble construction with limestone and sandstone dressings. Slab-coped gables to the front and rear with slate roof and two square slatted louvres with pyramidal roofs; squat end chimney to the rear gable, with simple cornicing. Symmetrical main, gabled elevation, with corbel-course forming a thin pediment at the top. Large central entrance with rusticated, round-arched surround of dressed limestone; projecting keystone. This has a broad stringcourse flanking it at low level which returns around onto the sides and rear of the building. To the R of the entrance is a late C19 limestone wall fountain with projecting semi-circular basin and finialled, gabled back-stone. Above the entrance is a large Venetian window with plain projecting surround and plain C20 glazing; evidence of primary windows (now blocked) flank this. Above this, in the centre of the corbel-course, is a circular clockface in a moulded oculus; relieving arch expressed above. Surmounting the gable is an aedicular rusticated bellcote with moulded pediment, round-arched bell opening and surmounting stone dome; decorative weathervane.

The N side faces Vale Street which descends steeply from the High Street on the L. The hall's rear gable end is correspondingly taller than the front and contains a basement, the entrance to which is at the L on the N side. The raised ground floor has a 5-bay arcade, presently glazed and with concrete lintels supported on (primary) Tuscan sandstone columns. Formerly there were six open bays; that to the L was subsequently blocked up and now has a 2-light window with plain raised architrave. Dividing the bays in the centre is a tall sloping buttress. To the L, beyond the 2-light window, is a similar 3-light window. Three further 3-light windows to the first floor, of which that to the L is of Venetian type.

The S side has a lower storeyed addition to the front (W) half, with flat roof and rounded front corner. A modern rubble-faced lift shaft addition rises from this to the roof-line.

The interior has been heavily-modernised, though a row of 7 primary Tuscan sandstone columns have survived to the (formerly partly-open) ground floor.