Grantham Guildhall

Grantham Guildhall is a municipal building on St Peter's Hill, Grantham, Lincolnshire, England. It is a Grade II listed building.[1]

Grantham Guildhall
Grantham Guildhall
LocationSt Peter's Hill, Grantham
Coordinates52.9107°N 0.6401°W / 52.9107; -0.6401
Built1869
ArchitectWilliam Watkins
Architectural style(s)Renaissance Revival style
Listed Building – Grade II
Designated20 April 1972
Reference no.1360282
Shown in Lincolnshire

History
Stone plaque commemorating Eleanor of Castile

The building was commissioned to replace the aging guildhall and jail on the corner of Guildhall Street and High Street.[2] The site selected for the new building had previously been occupied by a large mansion that had been converted into a school known as "The Firs".[2] A statue of Sir Isaac Newton by the sculptor, William Theed, was erected in front of the school in 1858 and therefore pre-dates the guildhall.[3][4][5]

The new building, which was designed by William Watkins in the Renaissance Revival style and built by William Wartnaby of Little Gonerby, was completed in 1869.[2] The design of the main building accommodated a ballroom and a sessions hall; a prison building was erected at the same time as was a separate governor's residence.[2] After the prison building was no longer required, it was leased to Robinson and Barnsdale, cigar makers, in 1882 and then leased to Grantham Technical Institute in 1897.[2]

During the Second World War parts of Grantham were badly damaged by bombing and the guildhall was protected by sandbags and blastwalls.[6][7]

The guildhall was the meeting place of Grantham Borough Council until 1974 when the enlarged South Kesteven District Council was formed and the guildhall ceased to be the local seat of government; after a period of disuse it was converted into an arts centre, to a design by Tim Benton, in 1991.[8] The mayor's parlour in the guildhall remains the meeting place for the charter trustees who continue to appoint the mayor of Grantham each year.[9]

A blue plaque was unveiled on the wall of the old prison building in 2014 to commemorate the life of Edith Smith, the first woman police officer in the United Kingdom with full power of arrest.[10]

In 2015, a modern relief stone plaque commemorating Eleanor of Castile was installed at the guildhall close to the site where an original Eleanor cross was erected by King Edward I in around 1294.[11] The original Eleanor Cross had been destroyed in 1645 during the English Civil War.[12] The arts centre continues to provide support for pantomimes such as "Peter Pan" in December 1917,[13] "Dick Whittington" in December 1918[14] and "Cinderella" in December 2019.[15]

References
  1. Historic England. "Town Hall, Grantham (1360282)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  2. "The Building". Guildhall Arts Centre. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  3. "Sculpture of Isaac Newton". Royal Society. 1857. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  4. Historic England. "Statue of Sir Isaac Newton (outside town hall) (1261634)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  5. "Grantham Town Hall, Lincolnshire: view of the clocktower with the statue of Isaac Newton in the foreground". Royal Institute of British Architects. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  6. "Grantham during the war: BMARCo managing director Denis Kendall, outside the Guildhall complete with 'blast' wall to protect the building for bombing". Grantham Matters. 22 October 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  7. "Grantham council at war". Grantham Matters. 7 July 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  8. "Guildhall Arts Centre". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  9. "New mayor of Grantham elected". Grantham Journal. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  10. "Edith Smith". Grantham Civic Society. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  11. "Plaque harking back to Queen Eleanor memorial cross to be unveiled at Grantham's Guildhall". Grantham Journal. 15 August 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  12. "Queen who died more than 700 years ago, remembered in Grantham". Grantham Matters. 29 August 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  13. "Diary 2017/2018". It's behind you. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  14. "Diary 2018/2019". It's behind you. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  15. "Diary 2019/2020". It's behind you. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
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