Description

RAMSDEN STREET
1.
5113
(South Side)
Huddersfield Town Hall,
including wall and railings
to area
SE 1416 SW 3/1133
II
2.
Built in 2 parts, the lower part (to Ramsden Street) 1875-6, the higher part
(to Princess Street) 1878-81. Architect of the latter: J H Abbey. Ashlar.
2 storeys, and basement.
Earlier part. Moulded eaves cornice, taken on stone brackets along facade.
Parapet along facade, with panelled dies, the 2 central ones taller and crowned
with urns: they flank the Borough Arms. Ground floor horizontally rusticated
and surmounted by entablature. Continuous moulded impost band on 1st floor.
7 window ranges, those on 1st floor round-arched, with keystones and moulded
voussoirs, those on ground floor segment-headed and set in recessed panels,
with fielded panels in aprons. Steps up to door. Porch in antis, flanked
by paired columns taking full entablature with parapet. Area has cast iron
railings with ornamental finials at either end, but low wall in front, and
piers with fielded panels, moulded cornices and urns on top.
Later part. Full entablatures to ground and 1st floors, both modillioned,
eaves cornice dentilled as well. Panelled parapet with moulded coping. Ground
floor has horizontally rusticated angle piers. 1st floor has a giant Corinthian
order. 3 ranges of windows, round-arched with sculpted masks on keystones,
moulded voussoirs and impost bands. Ground floor windows and central 1st floor
window are sub-divided by a slender colonnette taking 2 round arches with oculus
in spandrels. Sculpted panels above flanking 1st floor windows. Central bay
breaks forward and is crowned with segmental pediment. Round-arched porch
in antis, flanked by paired pilasters taking consoles to cornice. 9 ranges
of sashes in side elevations, end bays breaking forward and crowned by segmental
pediments.
Interior. Concert Hall (in later part) decorated in monumental style, viz,
giant pilasters, coved ceiling with moulded stress beams, apsed organ recess,
gallery on iron columns, 2 upper galleries, windows with large keystones with
masks. Extremely lavish stucco ornament on front of balconies, spandrels of
windows, in frieze and on soffits of ceiling beams. Lavish stucco ornament
to ceilings and arches elsewhere in building, and elaborate wooden door surrounds.
Staircase with elaborately twisted iron balusters.
The Town Hall opened in 1881 with a 3 day festival in which Sir Charles Halle
said that the Huddersfield Choral Society was the best he had ever conducted.

Listing NGR: SE1446416391

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Huddersfield Town Hall Including Wall And Railings To Area at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q26525289

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.

Recommended Books

• 
  Derbyshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)