History

Built as the County Jail in the third quarter of the C19 on the site an earlier jail. The present outline of buildings facing the street is shown on the 1888 Ordnance Survey.

Exterior

A T-shaped building in a severe Gothic style. It comprises a long N-S range and an E-W range, that forms the stem of the T and incorporates the main entrance to Shirehall Street. Outer wings face Shirehall Street that were formerly linked to the main building by perimeter walls. The main ranges are mostly of 2 storeys with cells in the basement, of snecked stone and slate roof with ridge vents and central octagonal lantern with pyramidal roof. The E-W range is 3 storeys and 3 bays to the street, of cyclopean rubble stone with rock-faced dressings and quoins, under a hipped roof on moulded stone eaves and brick stacks R and L. The central bay is recessed. The central bay has double half-lit doors with cusped and leaded lights and iron straps, flanked by half-shafts and glazed side panels. A pointed arch over the door has a large quatrefoil flanked by smaller quatrefoils in the tympanum, while the side panels have similar pointed arches with pointed trefoils in the tympanum. The middle storey has a 3-light mullioned window with triangular-headed lights and small roundels in the tympanum of a shallow segmental arch. In the upper storey is a 2-light window, similar to the outer bays. The outer bays have, in the lower storey, 3-light mullioned windows with shoulder-headed lights incorporating zig-zag decoration and under a shallow segmental arch. In the middle and upper storeys are similar but smaller 2-light windows, beneath the eaves in the upper storey. Windows incorporate 2-pane sashes.

The 2-window R side wall has 2-pane sashes in dressed surrounds with lintels, except the middle-storey L-hand window which has a shouldered head to a zig-zag lintel and beneath a segmental arch. The R-hand windows are set at a different level, with only a small window in the lower storey, where there is an additional window centrally placed. The L side wall is similar but on its R side the middle and upper-storey windows have been replaced by doorway to metal escape stairs.

Behind the entrance the main E-W range is narrower, lower and has windows mainly replaced in original lintelled openings. On the R (N) side are 3 windows and an infilled former opening on the L side. The upper-storey windows, lighting a former council chamber, are Tudor-headed and have coloured glass in metal glazing bars. The basement has 2 small-pane iron-framed windows and a panelled door to the R. The L (S) side wall has similar detail.

The main N-S range has coped gables on moulded kneelers and a stone eaves cornice with nail-head frieze, and on the N side has 2 brick stacks to its rear slope and brick stack to the E slope on the S side. The E wall has 6 windows either side of the E-W range. Windows in lower and upper storeys are replaced in original lintelled openings and are single-light windows except for a 2-light mullioned window set back from the inner end in the upper storey. The basement retains original arched cell windows with iron bars in front of iron-frame glazing. The N gable end has iron-framed glazing to a double-height 4-light mullioned and transomed window with round-headed lights and beneath a relieving arch. In the lower storey the centre lights are replaced by an inserted door under a canopy. In the gable is a small barred opening on the R side, while on the L side is a link to an office block of 1983. The basement has a central doorway and 2-light mullioned window to the R, of which the R-hand light retains small-pane glazing.

The rear (W) has 7 windows on the N side and 8 windows on the S side of a central projection. It has windows replaced in original openings similar to the front, original cell windows on the N side, where there is also a blocked former window in the R-hand bay, and replaced cell windows on the S side. The higher central 5-sided projection has a swept hipped roof on a moulded cornice. The outer facets have arched lights with iron glazing bars, except the S side which has narrow lintelled openings with replaced windows, while the centre has 3-light windows. The basement has a 2-light mullioned window with small-pane iron-frame glazing. The facets R and L of centre have lintelled windows (blocked to the L) and there is a doorway to the R side. On the R (S) side of the projection the main range has a Tudor-headed basement window at the L end. The S gable end is similar to the N, but has a doorway inserted in the lower storey, while in the upper storey is an inserted doorway and link to a detached later wing.

On the R (N) side of the main entrance is a 2½-storey outer wing linked to the main building by the office block of 1983. Its front comprises a gabled bay on the L side and narrower entrance bay set back to the R under a hipped roof. The front is cyclopean granite with bands of darker stone and freestone dressings. Side and rear walls are of snecked stone. The slate roof is on moulded stone eaves and behind coped gables on moulded kneelers in the L-hand bay. Two brick stacks have stone caps. The entrance bay has a boarded door with overlight. In the L-hand bay are 2-light mullioned windows with shouldered lintels and incorporating 2-pane sashes. The attic window has an arched head. The L side wall has 4-pane sash windows offset to the L side. A lower hipped rear wing, set back from the L side wall, has two 4-pane sash windows in the lower storey and a small 2-pane sash window upper R. A narrow opening to the L is obscured by the addition of the office block.

A similar 2½-storey wing is on the L (S) side. It has a gabled bay L and entrance bay set back to the R. The entrance bay has a fielded-panel door with plain overlight, under a shouldered lintel and segmental arch. In the upper storey is a 2-pane sash window with shouldered lintel. The gabled bay has 2-light mullioned windows with shouldered heads and relieving arches, and incorporating 2-pane sashes. A single attic sash window has a pointed head. The L side wall has a 2-pane sash window offset to the R of an attached later office wing. At the rear is a lower gabled wing with ridge ventilator and a hipped lean-to on the N side. The wing is attached to the E-W range by a convex coped and banded wall to a recessed courtyard doorway. The round-headed doorway is beneath a gable.

Interior

The entrance leads into a vestibule with corbelled ceiling and steps up to half-lit pointed panel doors. A long corridor in the E-W wing has panelled doors. At the junction of the E-W and N-S wings is an imperial stair with iron balustrade and wooden handrail that continues to the landing. The stairwell is top-lit by means of a lantern. In the upper storey panelled doors with glazed side panels lead to the main wings, which have boarded undersides to collar beam roofs. The basement is brick vaulted. The N-S wing has 2 parallel corridors leading to original cells on the outer sides. On the N side of the centre are 6 cells each side, with an iron gate retained at the W entrance of the corridor. On the N side the cells mostly retain metal doors with small elliptical peep holes, some of which also retain original iron grilles.

Reasons for Listing

Listed as a well-detailed C19 public building retaining architectural character that reflects its original purpose, including interior detail and some original cells, and an integral component of a group of public buildings that includes the police station and county court.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29503506

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

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  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House
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  Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6
• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)