Kingston upon Thames Guildhall
| The Guildhall | |
|
Surrey | |
|---|---|
 The Guildhall | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TQ17916908 |
| Location: | 51°24’31"N, 0°18’22"W |
| Town: | Kingston upon Thames |
| History | |
| Built 1935 | |
| By: | Maurice Webb |
| Neo-Georgian | |
| Information | |
| Owned by: | Kingston upon Thames Council |
The Guildhall is the town hall for Kingston upon Thames in Surrey. It stands in the High Street, adjacent to the Hogsmill River.
The Guildhall is a Grade II listed building.[1]
History
In the early 20th century the local council was based at municipal offices in "Clattern House", a mansion which had originally been built as judges' lodgings in 1811.[2][3] The Coronation Stone, which commemorates the coronation of seven Anglo-Saxon kings in Kingston, was moved to its present location, which was just in front of the old mansion, in 1850.[4] After the old municipal offices became inadequate, they were demolished to make way for the current building.[2]
The current building, which was designed by Maurice Webb in the Neo-Georgian style,[5] was built at a cost of £130,000.[2] It was officially opened by Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone on 3 July 1935.[6][7]
It is a Neo-Georgian red brick building with Portland stone dressings and tiled roof, laid out to a semi-circular plan.[1] To the centre of the semi-circular elevation is a massive square tower with a low octagonal spire and fluted corner pinnacles.[1] The central entrance is in the base of the tower. Above it is a two-storey, round headed window set in an open pedimented stone niche with simplified Corinthian columns rising from a corbelled balcony.[1] Pictorial references to the River Thames are displayed upon a keystone inside the niche, and on the corbels, capitals and iron gates. The coat of arms of Kingston is set further up the tower.[1] Inside, there is a marble lined circular entrance hall, and a central staircase with original opaque glass semi-spherical lamps.[1]
The building was established as the headquarters of the 'Municipal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames', and after that council's abolition in 1965, it became the headquarters for its successor. In order to accommodate a larger number of staff, it was extended in 1968.[8] It was further extended by additions known as "Guildhall one" and Guildhall two", which were designed by Ronald Ward & Partners, between 1975 and 1978.
The part of the complex associated with the magistrates' courts closed in 2011 and re-opened as a venue for weddings and civil partnership ceremonies known as the "Old Court House" in September 2015.[9]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 National Heritage List 1080065: The Guildhall, Kingston upon Thames (Grade II listing)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 'London's Town Halls' (Historic England), page 138
- ↑ A History of the County of Surrey - Volume 3 pp 487-501: Kingston-upon-Thames: Introduction and borough (Victoria County History)
- ↑ National Heritage List 1080066: Coronation Stone
- ↑ Hibbert, Christopher (2008). The London encyclopaedia. London: Macmillan. ISBN 1405049243.
- ↑ "Order of proceedings for the opening ceremony, 3 July 1935". National Archives. http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/1d017453-001d-4276-bb10-0ffbe835d6e5. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
- ↑ "June Sampson: Guildhall to celebrate 70-year history". Surrey Comet. 12 May 2005. https://www.surreycomet.co.uk/news/596439.june-sampson-guildhall-to-celebrate-70-year-history/. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
- ↑ Nikolaus Pevsner: The Buildings of England: Surrey, 1962; 1971 Penguin Books ISBN 978-0-300-09675-0page 332
- ↑ "About the Old Court House". Kingston upon Thames London Borough Council. https://www.kingston.gov.uk/homepage/292/about_the_old_court_house. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
