Northampton Guildhall

Northampton Guildhall is a municipal building which stands on St Giles' Square in Northampton, England. It is a Grade II* listed building.[1]

Northampton Guildhall
LocationNorthampton, Northamptonshire
Coordinates52°14′14″N 0°53′41″W
Built1864
ArchitectEdward William Godwin
Architectural style(s)Gothic Revival style
Listed Building – Grade II*
Designated19 January 1952
Reference no.1052399
Location of Northampton Guildhall in Northamptonshire

History
The Great Hall
Memorial on Northampton Guildhall to Diana, Princess of Wales

The building which was designed by Edward William Godwin[2] in the Gothic Revival style, was completed in 1864.[1] The original part of the building was symmetrical with three first-floor windows either side of the main entrance. The building has a statue, designed by Sir Francis Chantrey of Spencer Perceval, Member of Parliament for Northampton and the only British Prime Minister to have been assassinated, which was unveiled in 1817.[1]

The building was extended to the designs of A W Jeffrey and Matthew Holding in 1892.[1] The walls of the Great Hall, which display images of famous local men, were decorated by Colin Gill in 1925.[2] There are also murals of "The Muses Contemplating Northampton" which were painted by Henry Bird in 1949.[3]

A plaque on the eastern extension marks the fact that Diana, Princess of Wales was made a Freeman of the Borough of Northampton in 1989, marking her and her family's strong connections with the town and with Althorp where she was brought up and is buried. The plaque below the memorial reads: "The memorial above was unveiled by the 9th Earl Spencer in memory of his sister, 7 November 2002 in the presence of the Mayor of Northampton, Michael Geoffrey Boss".[4]

See also

References
  1. Historic England. "Guildhall, Northampton (1052399)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  2. Pevsner, Nikolaus; Cherry, Bridget (revision) (1961). The Buildings of England – Northamptonshire. London and New Haven: Yale University Press. pp. 325–6. ISBN 978-0-300-09632-3.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. Mayes, Ian (11 May 2000). "Obituary: Henry Bird". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  4. "Diana memorial unveiled". BBC News. 7 November 2002. Retrieved 26 August 2019.

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