The Guildhall, Chard

The Guildhall
Location Chard, Somerset, England
Coordinates 50°52′21″N 2°57′53″W / 50.8725°N 2.9646°W / 50.8725; -2.9646Coordinates: 50°52′21″N 2°57′53″W / 50.8725°N 2.9646°W / 50.8725; -2.9646
Built 1834-35
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official name: The Guildhall
Designated 24 March 1950
Reference no. 1197456
Location of The Guildhall in Somerset

The Guildhall is a town hall and community building in the town of Chard in the English county of Somerset.

History

The Guildhall was built in 1834-35 to replace the town's original 16th century guildhall and market house. Owing to the inconvenient position of the original hall at Fore Street, the decision to erect a replacement was finalised in 1833.[1][2] The foundation stone of the new hall was laid on 20 December 1834,[3] and the building first opened on 21 September 1835.[4] Designed by the local architect Richard Carver of Taunton, it originally incorporated a town hall, market house and butchery, and had cost over £3,000 to build.[5]

Much of the building's interior was remodelled around 1970,[1] with the entire building later undergoing renovation work between 1998 and 2003. The Guildhall has housed the offices of Chard Town Council since 2009, and is also regularly used by local community groups for a variety of activities.[6] The building has been Grade II* listed since 1950.[1]

Architecture

The Guildhall is built of Hamstone sourced from nearby Ham Hill, with slate roofs. The two-storey building has a T-shaped plan and is designed in the Classical style. The facade features a Doric portico with a double row of Tuscan columns at ground level and Doric columns on the second-storey. A domed cupola, featuring clock faces on three sides, sits on top of the facade's pediment. Both the council chamber and mayor's parlour survive unaltered.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "THE GUILDHALL, Chard Town - 1197456". Historic England. 1950-03-24. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  2. ↑ "Detailed Result: GUILDHALL". Pastscape. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  3. ↑ The Western Flying Post, Sherborne and Yeovil Mercury - 29 December 1834 - page 3
  4. ↑ "The Book of the Axe - George Philip R. Pulman - Google Books". Books.google.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  5. ↑ "A-C - Samuel Lewis - Google Books". Books.google.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  6. ↑ "The Guildhall - Chard Town Council". Chard.gov.uk. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
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