County Hall, Taunton

County Hall is a municipal building in The Crescent, Taunton, Somerset, England. The structure, which is the offices and meeting place of Somerset County Council, is a Grade II Listed building.[1]

County Hall, Taunton
County Hall in 2018
LocationTaunton, Somerset
Coordinates51.0133°N 3.1068°W / 51.0133; -3.1068
Built1935
ArchitectE. Vincent Harris
Architectural style(s)Neo-Georgian style
Listed Building – Grade II
Designated5 December 2000
Reference no.1246219
Location of County Hall, Taunton in Somerset

History

During the early part of the 20th century Somerset County Council was based at the Shire Hall.[2] As the responsibilities of the county council increased significantly, county leaders decided to procure a more substantial county headquarters: the site they selected was open land just to the east of the old Shire Hall.[3]

The new building, which was designed by E. Vincent Harris in the municipal neo-Georgian style, was completed on 23 October 1935.[4] The design for the three-storey building involved a recessed concave main frontage of nine bays facing the corner of Park Street and The Crescent from which wings stretched back to the south west and south east; the central section featured a round headed doorway with coat of arms in the tympanum.[1][5] It was constructed from English bond buff-coloured and pink bricks with the dressings in Portland stone.[1] It was extended to the south in the 1960s to a design by Goodwin & Tatham to cover most of the open land to the west of The Crescent.[1][4]

The Earl of Wessex visited County Hall and planted a tree to commemorate the 50th anniversary of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award on 25 April 2007[6] and, following the amalgamation of The Light Infantry into The Rifles in February 2007, a ceremony was held at which the Queen's Colour and Regimental Colour of the 6th Battalion (Somerset and Cornwall) The Light Infantry were placed in the entrance of County Hall in June 2009.[7]

In September 2013 the county council announced that it was considering a variety of options for the effective use of the building.[8] After some debate, plans were announced for Taunton Deane Council to share County Hall in 2014[9] and a £10 million programme of works to refurbish County Hall was completed in 2020.[10][11][12]

References
  1. "A Block County Hall and Entrance Forecourt and Pavements". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  2. "Shire Hall in Taunton: The fascinating history of this 162-year-old building that needs urgent repairs". Somerset Live. 11 April 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  3. "Ordnance Survey Map". 1930. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  4. "Somerset County Hall". Somerset architects index. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  5. Foyle, Andrew; Cherry, Bridget (2004). Bristol. Yale University Press. p. 73. ISBN 978-0300104424.
  6. "Double Royal visit for Taunton". Somerset County Gazette. 5 April 2007. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  7. "Somerset standards unveiled". Somerset County Gazette. 21 June 2009. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  8. "Somerset County Council discusses County Hall future". BBC. 26 September 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  9. Blacklock, Daisy (20 August 2014). "Green light for Taunton Deane Council move to County Hall". County Gazette. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  10. "Somerset County Hall £10m repair bill branded 'obscene'". BBC. 12 December 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  11. "Councillor hit out over £9.9million refurb of County Hall in Taunton". Somerset County Gazette. 12 December 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  12. "Somerset County Hall: Disused office space to be rented out". BBC. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
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