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Latitude: 51.67 / 51°40'12"N
Longitude: -1.2815 / 1°16'53"W
OS Eastings: 449785
OS Northings: 197051
OS Grid: SU497970
Mapcode National: GBR 7YR.6TJ
Mapcode Global: VHCY6.Q9W2
Plus Code: 9C3WMPC9+2C
Entry Name: County Hall and Market House
Listing Date: 19 January 1951
Grade: I
Source: Historic England
Source ID: 1199601
English Heritage Legacy ID: 250413
ID on this website: 101199601
Location: Abingdon-on-Thames, Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, OX14
County: Oxfordshire
District: Vale of White Horse
Civil Parish: Abingdon on Thames
Built-Up Area: Abingdon
Traditional County: Berkshire
Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Oxfordshire
Church of England Parish: Abingdon-on-Thames
Church of England Diocese: Oxford
Tagged with: Local museum Local authority museum
SU 4997 ABINGDON MARKET PLACE
583/1/180 County Hall
(Market House)
19.01.1951
GV I
1678-1683. Ashlar. By Christopher Kempster, one of Wren's masons.
Woodwork by Avery Hobbs. Two storeys, cellars and attics, with a
square staircase tower on the south side. Four bays by two, faced
with fine ashlar, Burford stone to impost level of ground floor,
mostly Headington stone above. The Hall stands on a stylobate of
three steps. Open arcaded Market Hall on ground floor, Sessions Hall
on the first floor lighted by arched window in each bay. Giant
pilasters of two storeys support entablature and wooden eaves cornice
of lead roof. Roof has pedimented dormer window above each bay and a
baluwtraded flat frond which rises a cupola with a weathervane. The
grand order, the pilasters of the ground floor arcade, and the tower
square a plinths with a simple cavetto. The order has pedestals,
moulded bases, pilasters without entasis or fluting, and composite
capitals. Its entablature has a plain frieze and carries the
modillions of the wooden eaves cornice of roof, renewed in 1896.
The proportion of this order differ very slightly from the first design,
since the decayed stone was cut away in the restoration work before
1852.
Each bay of tile grand order embraces one arch of the Market Hall arcade.
The Keystones of the round arches bear sculptured masks with symbolical
headdressed. In their present form these date from 1853. The arcades
spring from plain pilasters with moulded imposts. Round headed windows
on first floor, moulded architraves, scrolled keystone with acanthus.
box stone used in the 1853 restoration. Also repaired in 1952. The
County Hall was tile scene of many great election struggles. A.M.
Drawings in Details 1, 69-71 and Architectural Review XIII (1903),
16 and VCH: Berks IV, 433.
The County Hall with Nos. 5 to 9 (consec) Market Place form a group
Listing NGR: SU4978997051
External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.
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