History

Built in 1867 by Lloyd Williams and Underwood, County Architects. Early Gothic style.

Exterior

2-storey building with 6-bay front originally comprising civic rooms above and Market Hall below. Snecked bull nosed rubble with steep slate roof, slightly swept eaves and pyramidal roofed ventilators. Freestone dressings including gable parapet, stringcourse and quoins. Cross gable to left has timber bellcote with openwork detail and pyramidal roof. Tall pointed arch recess with voussoirs containing clock face over twinned cusped lancets with polished granite columns and foliage capitals; lights mains stairs. Five 2-light windows to right at 1st floor level with quatrefoil heads and diamond glazing. The stringcourse steps up to left over main entrance with quarter round moulding; deeply recessed circular window to pointed arch tympanum and square headed opening below with double doors. Flatter pointed arches to ground floor with toothed ornament and stop chamfered jambs; formerly open but later infilled by large windows with pivot openings. Paired doors to middle bay; shop front and door to left hand bay. The remaining detail is mainly to the Parade Street elevation around the chamfered corner. Gablet end to main roof over high cross gable containing 3-light pointed arch window with twin quatrefoil to head and similar shafts to the main front window. 3-similar flat arched openings below, that to right with doorway. 2 storey cross range continues to right, stepped down; 3-grouped lancets to 1st floor. Taller corner tower to right with steep half hipped roof and deeply chamfered corners and tall lancet window. Similar windows to left hand side some with quatrefoil heads; swept roof attic with 3-light window and gable with applied cusped half-timbering. 2 stone chimney stacks. Plainer detail to rear.

Interior

Encaustic tile entrance hall to left with semicircular panelled and half-glazed booth or porter's office. The main staircase has metal uprights and wooden handrail. The main civic room upstairs has open roof truss, stylistically akin to both hammerbeam and ship's keel roofs. Segmental arched at collar level and with deep foliage carved brackets. The raked gallery at one end is carried on cast iron pillars and has sinuous cast iron front. Festooned ornament over proscenium with blind cartouche. Gothic fireplace with deep marble roundels.

Reasons for Listing

Group value.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Town Hall at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q29481543

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

• 
  London 1: The City of London: City of London v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide