| The Council House | |
|---|---|
 The building in 2007 | |
| Location | Avenue Road, Great Malvern |
| Coordinates | 52°06′40″N 2°19′29″W / 52.1111°N 2.3247°W / 52.1111; -2.3247 |
| Built | 1880 |
| Architect | Henry Haddon |
| Architectural style(s) | Perpendicular Gothic style |
| Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | The Council House (Malvern Hills District Council Offices) |
| Designated | 11 May 1979 |
| Reference no. | 1156369 |
  Shown in Worcestershire | |
The Council House is a municipal building in Avenue Road in Great Malvern, a town in Worcestershire in England. The building, which accommodates the headquarters of Malvern Hills District Council, is a Grade II* listed building.
History
The first building on the site was Nether Court, a grange of Great Malvern Priory, which lay among fields and dated from the mediaeval period. It was sold for the construction of housing in 1846. In 1847, a house named The Priory was built on the site for a medical doctor, James Manby Gully, who was prominent in establishing hydrotherapy in Malvern.
The property was purchased by a South American merchant, Albert Miles Speer, who demolished it in 1873. He commissioned a new and larger house, construction of which started in 1874. It was designed by Henry Haddon in the Perpendicular Gothic style, built by Collins and Cullins of Tewkesbury in coursed stone and was completed in 1880. The carving was undertaken by William Forsyth, while stained glass was designed by Heaton, Butler and Bayne.
In 1909, the building was converted into a preparatory school, known as The Priory School, and a gymnasium and swimming pool were constructed in the grounds. The proprietors of school were the Jones family, first Ebenezer Lloyd Jones, and then his son, Edward Harold Lloyd Jones.
In 1925, the property was purchased by Malvern Urban District Council, to serve as its headquarters. The grounds were annexed to become part of Priory Park. Following local government re-organisation in 1974, the building became the offices and meeting place of Malvern Hills District Council, which converted the gymnasium into its council chamber. The building was grade II* listed in 1979.
Architecture
The building is constructed of coursed stone, with brick chimneys and a tiled roof, with a service wing of yellow brick, and a conservatory of wood and glass. It has a broadly square plan, with a full-height central hall. The service wing extends north, and the conservatory and billiards room extends to the east. It is asymmetrical and is fenestrated by mullioned and transomed windows. It features a projecting porch, which encloses a round-headed opening with an archivolt, and which is flanked by elaborately carved pilasters surmounted by carvings of animals. There is a four-storey stair tower, with a spire turret. Inside, there is much carved wood and tilework. The principal rooms include the council chamber and the Elgar Room, which is used for weddings and civil partnership ceremonies. The gate posts are also listed.
References
- ^ Historic England. "The Council House (Malvern Hills District Council Offices) (1156369)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- A History of the County of Worcester. Vol. 4. London: Victoria County History. 1924. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- Stanley Smith, Brian (1978). A History of Malvern. Alan Sutton. p. 135. ISBN 978-0904387315.
- Swinton, W. E. (1980). "The hydrotherapy and infamy of Dr. James Gully". Canadian Medical Association Journal. 123 (12): 1262–4. PMC 1705053. PMID 7006778.
- Wilson, James; James M. Gully (1843). in The Dangers of the Water Cure, and its Efficacy Examined and Compared with those of the Drug Treatment of Diseases; and an Explanation of its Principles and Practice; with an account of Cases Treated at Malvern, and a Prospectus of the Water Cure Establishment at That Place. London: Cunningham & Mortimer. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
- Iles, Brian (2009). Malvern Through Time. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1445610054.
- Brooks, Alan; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2007). Worcestershire (Buildings of England Series). Yale University Press. p. 474. ISBN 978-0300112986.
- Alumni Cantabrigienses A Biographical List of All Known Students, Graduates and Holders of Office at the University of Cambridge, from the Earliest Times to 1900 2011. Cambridge University Press. p. 596. ISBN 978-1108036139.
- Local Government Act 1972. 1972 c.70. The Stationery Office Ltd. 1997. ISBN 0-10-547072-4.
- "Weddings and civil partnerships". Malvern Hills District Council. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- Historic England. "Gates and gate posts to the Council House (Malvern Hills District Council Offices) (1082793)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 July 2024.