Guildhall, Bath

Guildhall is an 18th-century municipal building in central Bath, Somerset, England. It is a Grade I listed building.[1]

The Guildhall
LocationBath, Somerset, England
Coordinates51°22′55″N 2°21′32″W
Built1778
ArchitectThomas Baldwin
Listed Building – Grade I
Designated12 June, 1950[1]
Reference no.442118
Location of The Guildhall in Somerset

History

The earliest mention of a guildhall here was in 1359.[2] This was replaced by a Jacobean guildhall, on approximately the same site, in 1625.[3] The building was considerably enlarged to a design by William Killigrew in 1725, and a series of specially commissioned paintings by Jan Baptist van Diest was subsequently put on display.[3]

The current Bath stone building, designed by Thomas Baldwin, was built between 1775 and 1778[1] and extended by John McKean Brydon in 1893.[1] The central facade has four Ionic columns and the building is surmounted by the figure of Justice. The central dome and the north and south wings were added in 1893[1] and form a contiguous building with the Victoria Art Gallery, which was also built around the same time.[4]

The Guildhall suffered considerable damage in a fire on 25 April 1972.[5] The interior has a banqueting hall with engaged Corinthian columns, 18th-century chandeliers and royal portraits. The room is used on royal visits to the city: Queen Elizabeth II had lunch in the banqueting room in May 2002.[6]

The building now houses the council chamber for Bath and North East Somerset Council and the register office for Bath and North East Somerset; the building is also used as a wedding venue, and the record office also houses the Bath and North East Somerset Archives and Local Studies services.[7][8][9] The Guildhall also serves as one of the venues for the Bath International Music Festival and other cultural events. It has been used for filming period dramas[10] and miniseries such as The Trial of Christine Keeler (in 2019).[11]

Bath Guildhall Market

Bath Guildhall Market is behind the Guildhall, and can be accessed by its own entrance tunnel through the Guildhall. It has traded on its site for the last 800 years. About 20 stall holders trade there nowadays.[12]

  • The Guildhall in 1864 before the extensions were built
  • The Guildhall circa 1895
  • Council Chamber
  • Alkmaar Room
  • Neoclassic frieze (John Brydon, architect)

References
  1. Historic England. "Guildhall, Bath and North East Somerset (1396021)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  2. Holland, Elizabeth (1988). Bath History (PDF). 2. Sutton Publishing. p. 166. ISBN 978-0862995089.
  3. Fawcett, Trevor. "The Stuart Guildhall". Bath Past. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
  4. Historic England. "Victoria Art Gallery and Library (1394957)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
  5. "The fire at the Guildhall Market 25 April 1972". Bath in Time. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  6. "Banqueting room". Bath's Historic Buildings. Bath and North East Somerset Council. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
  7. "The Guildhall in Bath". Bath's Historic Buildings. Bath and North East Somerset Council. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
  8. "Marriages in the Guildhall". Bath's Historic Buildings. Bath and North East Somerset Council. Archived from the original on 19 October 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  9. "Getting Here: Bath Record Office". Bath Archives and Local Studies. Bath and North East Somerset Council. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  10. "Council Chamber". Bath's Historic Buildings. Bath and North East Somerset Council. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
  11. "Scenes for BBC prime time drama starring Emilia Fox and Ben Miles are being filmed in Bath". Somerset Live. 18 March 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  12. "Guildhall Market". visitBath. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.