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Shire Hall, Worcester

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County building in Worcester, Worcestershire, England

Shire Hall, Worcester
The Shire Hall in 2007
LocationWorcester, Worcestershire
Coordinates52°11′48″N 2°13′19″W / 52.1968°N 2.2219°W / 52.1968; -2.2219
Built1835
ArchitectCharles Day and Henry Rowe
Architectural style(s)Greek Revival style
Listed Building – Grade II*
Designated22 May 1954
Reference no.1389831
Shire Hall, Worcester is located in WorcestershireShire Hall, WorcesterLocation of Shire Hall, Worcester in Worcestershire

The Shire Hall is a municipal building in Foregate Street in Worcester, England. It is a Grade II* listed building.

History

An Act of Parliament in 1831 allowed for "erecting a County Hall and Courts of Justice, and also for providing Accommodation for His Majesty's Justices of Assize, in and for the County of Worcester." The Shire Hall, which was designed by Charles Day and Henry Rowe in the Greek Revival style, was completed in 1835. The design involved a symmetrical main frontage facing onto Foregate Street; the central section featured a hexastyle portico with Ionic order columns supporting a pediment. The principal rooms included a Grand Hall and the courtrooms. Pevsner applauded the "impeccable Grecian design" of the Shire Hall with its "excellent Schinkelish detail". A statue of Queen Victoria, designed by Sir Thomas Brock, was unveiled outside the building in 1887.

A pipe organ, designed and manufactured by Nicholson & Co, was installed in the Shire Hall in 1884. The Czech composer, Antonín Dvořák, toured the UK that year and made a visit to Worcester although no organ pieces were actually played at concerts during his visit.

County Buildings, St Mary's Street: County Council's adjoining main offices, completed 1930.

Although originally used as a facility for dispensing justice, following the implementation of the Local Government Act 1888, which established county councils in every county, the Shire Hall also became the meeting place for Worcestershire County Council. The county council later also built County Buildings on land immediately north of Shire Hall, facing St Mary's Street, to house its administrative offices. County Buildings was completed in 1930 to the designs of Alfred Vernon Rowe, the county architect.

Visitors to the Shire Hall included Princess Elizabeth who entered the building on 8 June 1951 during celebrations associated with the bi-centenary of the Royal Worcester Porcelain Factory. They also included the writer, John Betjeman, who made a controversial speech in the building in 1964 in which he repeated some comments made by his colleague, James Lees-Milne, who had complained about the "vandalism of the modern world" when authoring the Shell Guide to Worcestershire.

Following the implementation of the Courts Act 1971, the former assizes court was re-designated Worcester Crown Court. After the Worcestershire County Council was abolished in 1974, the new authority, Hereford and Worcester County Council was initially based at the Shire Hall and adjoining County Buildings in Worcester but moved its base to County Hall in Worcester in 1978. The Shire Hall's activities were then restricted to that of a Crown Court.

References

  1. ^ Historic England. "Shire Hall, Worcester (1389831)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  2. "Journal of the House of Lords: Volume 63, 1830-1831. Originally published by His Majesty's Stationery Office, London, [n.d.]". British History Online. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  3. "Shire Hall, Worcester (Worcester Crown & County Court)". Building Stones. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  4. Pevsner, Nikolaus (1985). Worcestershire (Buildings of England). Harmondsworth. p. 323.
  5. "A street full of history". BBC. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  6. "Victoria statue, Shire Hall, Worcester". Building Stones. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  7. "Statues in Worcester". Bob Speel. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  8. ^ Boden, Anthony; Hedley, Paul (2017). The Three Choirs Festival: A History. Boydell & Brewer. p. 133. ISBN 978-1783272099.
  9. "Local Government Act 1888". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  10. "Adding a New Layer: 20th Century Heritage in Worcestershire - Civil Buildings". Explore the Past. 10 June 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  11. Local List of Heritage Assets (PDF). Worcester City Council. 2017. p. 16. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  12. "Royal Visits to Worcester". Media Archive for Central England. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  13. Peterson, William S. (2006). John Betjeman: A Bibliography. Oxford University Press. p. 312. ISBN 978-0198184034.
  14. "James Lees-Milne's Books". Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  15. Courts Act 1971 (Commencement) Order 1971 (SI 1971/1151)
  16. "County Hall, Worcester". RIBA. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  17. "Worcester Crown Court". The Law Pages. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
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