Description

STAFFORD

SJ9223SW MARTIN STREET
590-1/10/69 (North side)
17/12/71 County Buildings and Judge's House
(Formerly Listed as:
MARTIN STREET
County Buildings)
(Formerly Listed as:
MARKET SQUARE
(East side)
Shire Hall)

GV II*

County offices, and Judge's house formerly listed with Shire
Hall (qv). Judge's house 1799-1802 by Joseph Potter Snr,
extended by 1879; offices 1893-5, extended to left in 1899, by
HT Hare. Ashlar with parapeted roof; offices of brick with
ashlar dressings; graduated slate roof with several stacks.
EXTERIOR: Judge's house of 3 storeys, 6-window range with
higher 3-window range to right. Rusticated ground floor and
top cornice with blocking course.
6-bay range has round-headed arches to loggia, those to right
with triple keys and 2 cartouches to spandrels; cast-iron
railings with decorative finials, and 2 gates; left part of
ground floor has 2 windows with 12-pane sashes and entrance to
left end with overlight and side lights to 5-fielded-panel
door; part to right, altered 1890s, has 3-light
ovolo-mullioned-and-transomed windows with leaded glazing
flanking entrance with architrave, triple key and segmental
pediment over paired half-glazed doors; right end has 3
double-chamfered cross-mullioned windows. 1st floor has 3
windows with 12-paned horned sashes and 5 with 4-paned sashes
and one blind window to centre of right end; similar 6-pane
sashes to 2nd floor.
Facade to Martin Street (covered for cleaning during survey
and previous description partly used): in Baroque revival
style with Arts and Crafts influences. Asymmetrical facade of
2 storeys with attic; 8-window centre with projecting wings
under hipped roofs, lower gabled pavilion to right end with
carriage archway. Top dentilled cornice. Entrance has
architrave and segmental pediment with small lights and relief
carving. Ground floor has square windows with stepped
voussoirs; 1st floor centre has double-transomed mullioned
windows with leaded glazing; wing to right has Venetian window
with flanking round windows; dormer windows have lead finials.
Wings have cupolas with copper cladding.
INTERIOR: very rich main spaces with panelling, plasterwork by
F.E.E. Schenck, original light fittings etc. Entrance hall has
5-panel doors with segmental hoods, fireplace with Ionic
columns and painted overmantel with county arms, coffered
saucer dome.
Stair leads up to barrel-vaulted landing with flanking
groin-vaulted passages with fluted piers with half-columns and
bowed timber balustrades.
Corridor leads to council chamber, square with central dome,
marble Composite columns, niches with figures by W Aumonier, 2
Venetian windows with Ionic pilasters and rich relief work
over, other 2 sides have recesses and round windows over,
pedimented entrances and contemporary fittings.
Oak Room has panelling and fireplace to each end with
architraves, pulvinated friezes and cornices, de Morgan style
tiles, plaster modillioned cornice and coved ceiling with
round windows.
White Room has barrel-vaulted ceiling and white painted
panelling with Ionic pilasters over dado, fireplace with
egg-and-dart moulding, paired marble columns and fluted frieze
and cornice, top entablature and bull's eye windows to ends.
Library has Ionic corner and saucer dome on pendentives with
rich relief plaster work, book cases have cartouches and
festoons over, fireplace has de Morgan style tiles and
enriched overmantel with painting.
Ground floor has groin-vaulted corridor with entrances with
eared architraves and fielded-panelled doors with roundels
over.
A very good example of late C19 civic building retaining
complete interior spaces; one of Stafford's best public
buildings.
The Judge's House was listed, (as part of Shire Hall), on
16.1.51.
(Buildings of England: Pevsner N and Nairn J: Staffordshire:
London: 1974-: 244; Victoria County History of Staffordshire:
Greenslade MW: A History of Stafford: London: 1979-: 202).

Listing NGR: SJ9223723279

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• County Buildings and Judges House at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q17531013

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

• 
  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Harrow on the Hill: A photographic portrayal of listed buildings and structures (Historic Buildings Picture Guides)
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Setting up a Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement: Historic England Advice Note 5
• 
  Gloucestershire 1: The Cotswolds: Cotswolds Pt. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)