Clocktower Hall

Clocktower Hall

A hall in flamboyant neo-Georgian style, constructed of red brick with a grey-green slate roof. The building comprises a single-storey hall with ticket office and gallery to the north end, and two-storey offices to the south end. A clock tower rises above the north end, and a pair of brick chimney stacks stands at the south end. One-window two-storey projections with hipped roofs project from the north-east, south-east and south-west angles, set inset from the corners of the main range. The building features wide boarded modillion eaves with a freestone band, brick sills and heads to small-pane windows.

The front is a two-storey three-bay composition with a pedimented gable surmounted by a bellcote and clock tower. The clock tower has a boarded square base with clock faces to the east and west sides, panelled parapets and urn finials to the angles. Above this sits an open octagonal bellcote with a lattice-work frieze to its base, a swept pyramidal roof and a weathervane finial bearing a ship emblem. The pediment contains a large stone heraldic emblem depicting a human figure with swags, set within a brick-arched semi-circular recess. A broad freestone balcony below features concave corners on console brackets, with an inscribed panel reading 'Robert Davies Memorial Church Hall'. The balcony is accessed from the gallery via panelled doors at either end, which flank three trellised square openings within a heavy freestone surround. The outer bays contain two-light wooden casement windows to each storey. A similar window appears to the lower storey of the left projection.

The symmetrical east side has four large windows with round-arched heads, brick aprons and iron glazing, set in full-height recessed openings between the hipped projections. The projections themselves have similar windows. The main entrance is located to the rear (south) of the right projection, comprising a moulded freestone pedimented doorcase with half-glazed double doors and a two-light casement above. The east end features a tall round-arched window matching those of the hall. The left projection has a similar doorway to its inner (north) side, with a casement above and a tall round-arched window to the east; casements appear to each storey on the south side, and a small cupola sits on the ridge. Casements to each storey of the main range appear to the left of the left projection. The south end has a half-hipped roof with eaves stacks to left and right. It contains four windows with casements to the lower storey; the leftmost has been converted to a half-glazed door with overlight. Larger cross-windows to the upper storey break through the eaves. A late twentieth-century low hipped-roof block stands at the south-west angle with French doors leading into a cafe. The south-west projection has a pedimented doorway facing north, with a casement above, and casements to each storey on its west end, with another visible to the upper storey of the south side. The west side of the hall contains five round-arched windows, as on the east side.

Inside the entrance stands a polygonal wood-panelled ticket office immediately to the left, with an open-well staircase ahead leading to the gallery and double doors to the left into the hall. The hall features a five-bay segmental-arched ceiling with patterned bands containing circles dividing each bay, and circular ventilators linked by panels. A deep ceiling cornice bears a painted Greek key frieze. At the north end, a fluted decorated swept gallery front is carried on set-back cast iron columns. The gallery is now glazed with offices behind. Horizontally fluted pilasters flank the proscenium, with a similar cornice and classical urn above. A door to the right of the stage leads to the cafe; double doors to the left lead to further rooms with a staircase to the offices. These doors are half-glazed with small panes.