Town Hall, Denbigh, Denbighshire

History

Town Hall built 1915-16 to replace Thomas Fulljames' Market Hall of 1848, combining town hall and market. The building was designed by C E Elcock in an eclectic Arts and Crafts style which synthesises a medievalising baronial theme with germanic Art Nouveau elements. The foundation stone was laid by Thomas Lloyd Jones, Mayor of Denbigh, on 25th March 1915. In the 1950s the building lost its dome and subsequently underwent some remodelling internally. Of interest is the relatively early use of reinforced concrete in the construction.

Exterior

Large and confident municipal hall building consisting of a main rectangular 2-storey hall block and narrow access blocks at the corners. Of roughcast brick with reinforced concrete frame, the facade with snecked, quarry-dressed limestone facings and smooth brown sandstone dressings; slate roofs. The facade is in three sections with a symmetrical 3-bay, 3-storey section to the centre flanked by irregular projecting stair blocks. The main part has 3 large round-arched openings to the ground floor, each arch moulded and with projecting keystone. Three-quarter glazing with small-panes in cross-window form; opening entrance sections. The first floor has 3 large 3-light mullioned and transomed leaded windows with full-length stone balcony supported on iron brackets; simple iron railings. The second floor has 3 sandstone oculi set into limestone facings with flanking decorative brackets and sandstone pilasters. The latter support a decorative sandstone frieze with 'Denbigh Borough Markets' in Art Nouveau relief letters; simple projecting cornice with surmounting parapet.
Adjoining to the L and projecting slightly into Crown Square, is the main stairwell, contained within an advanced block with rounded corner to the R. The latter extends to 2 storeys in the form of a turret and terminates with a conical roof. The main entrance is set into its convex face. Large sandstone doorway in municipal Renaissance style with rusticated surround, moulded cornice and central heraldic cartouche having moulded flanking pyramids; convex multi-panel double doors. Rectangular leaded window above with moulded sill and a carved heraldic shield to its L. To the L of the turret is an ocular ground-floor window with an L-shaped 3-light mullioned window lighting the stairwell above. This section is parapetted and has a sandstone balustrade above the window; below the window is an inset foundation stone.
Advanced to the R of the main section is a secondary stair block. This consists of a two-and-a-half storey gabled tower with hipped and parapetted 2-storey flush extension to the R. The former has a steeply-pitched crow-step gable to the front with a narrow sandstone central strip vertically lacing a ground-floor entrance with first and second stage windows. The entrance has a dressed surround with projecting keystone and recessed door with elliptical glazed upper panels. Tall leaded windows, that to the upper stage arched and with keystone. The adjoining right-hand section has an entrance as before, slightly higher than its pair, with a lancet first-floor window; similar window treatment to the R return (facing Crown Lane). Here the corner is rounded for the lower two-thirds and then squares-off above a moulded corbel to the upper third. Moulded parapet with Welsh relief-carved inscription in Art Nouveau lettering, including the date 1916; higher flat-roofed projection to the rear with a gabled vent extension to the side (E).
5-bay sides with gently-inclined buttresses defining the bay divisions. The central 3 bays to each have oculi under deep eaves; tripartite windows below (to each bay), with a rectangular lozenge-glazed central window flanked by 6-pane narrower windows. A single-storey lean-to projection runs along the length of the eastern (Crown Lane) side in the manner of an aisle. This has arched WC entrances with 1950s glazed brick windows. At the rear corner is a crow-stepped gabled projection as before.

Interior

A barrel-vaulted entrance hall gives onto the principal stairwell in the main entrance projection. Tall, plaster vaulted stairwell with stairs in 4 short flights ranged around an L-shaped central pier. This has green figured marble copings, sloped-up and partly with simple surmounting iron railings to the top. Dentilated wooden picture rail. On the half-landing is an exedra, contained within the rounded turret, which has a stained glass cartouche to its window with decorative Arts and Crafts leading incorporating the initial D (for Denbigh). In the main stair window appears the date 'AD 1916'; frosted marginal glazing. Further barrel-vaulted passage at the stair head with 6-panel double doors leading to the council chamber to the R; modern lifts opposite. Beyond the passage is the main first floor hall. This is in the form of a galleried auditorium and in its present form is of the 1950s; U-shaped gallery carried on clad columns, with raked seating opposite a large stage at the rear end. Stair towers and WCs flank the stage at the rear. The ground floor of the central section, under the auditorium and council chamber, is a large, plain (former) market hall.

Reasons for Listing

Listed Grade II* for its special architectural interest as a fine early C20 public building of bold and sophisticated design, well-detailed and with added interest of the relatively early use of reinforced concrete.

Group value with other listed items in Crown Square and Back Row.

External Links

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.

British Listed Buildings

History in Structure

Town Hall

A Grade II* Listed Building in Denbigh, Denbighshire

Coordinates

History

Exterior

Interior

Reasons for Listing

External Links

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