Shire Hall Complex, Bury St Edmunds
The north frontage of the Old Shire Hall
LocationBury St Edmunds, Suffolk
Coordinates52°14′33″N 0°43′10″E / 52.2426°N 0.7195°E / 52.2426; 0.7195
Built1750
ArchitectWilliam McIntosh Brookes (court house) and Archie Ainsworth-Hunt (old shire hall)
Architectural style(s)Greek Revival style (court house) and Edwardian Baroque style (old shire hall)
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameOld Shire Hall and Magistrates Court
Designated8 November 2018
Reference no.1460009
Shire Hall Complex, Bury St Edmunds is located in Suffolk
Shire Hall Complex, Bury St Edmunds
Location of Shire Hall Complex, Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk

The Shire Hall Complex is a group of municipal buildings in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England. The complex, which was the headquarters of West Suffolk County Council until its abolition in 1974, is a Grade II listed building.[1]

History

The New Shire Hall, subsequently converted into a Premier Inn Hotel

The complex lies within the original precincts of Bury St Edmunds Abbey and was originally the site of a monastic grammar school.[2][3] The oldest part of the complex, the old court building, dates back to 1750: the two-storey building was remodeled in the early 19th century and was further restructured to the designs of William McIntosh Brookes in the Greek Revival style between 1841 and 1842.[1] The building was originally used as the local facility for dispensing justice but, following the implementation of the Local Government Act 1888, which established county councils in every county, it also became the meeting place for West Suffolk County Council.[4]

The building was extended to the north to the designs of Archie Ainsworth-Hunt, the county architect, in the Edwardian Baroque style so creating the "old shire hall" between 1906 and 1907.[1] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with eleven bays facing onto the churchyard with the end three bays on each side slightly projected forward; the central section of three bays featured an arched doorway on the ground floor flanked by Ionic order columns with a segmental pediment containing a cartouche; there was an oriel window on the first floor and a window with a fanlight on the second floor flanked by large Ionic order columns spanning the second and third floors; there was a pediment at roof level.[1]

St Margaret's House, another 18th century building located to the east of the old shire hall, was acquired by the county council in 1932[3] and subsequently incorporated into the complex for use as additional county council offices.[5] A large modern extension, designed by McMorran & Whitby and often referred to as the new shire hall, was added in 1968.[6][7]

After West Suffolk County Council was abolished in 1974,[8] the offices in the new shire hall accommodated the western area offices of certain of the departments of the Suffolk County Council.[9] Later the new shire hall became surplus to requirements, but following conversion works, the building re-opened as a Premier Inn Hotel in October 2015.[10] Meanwhile the old shire hall ceased operating as a courthouse after the magistrates' court closed in October 2016.[11] In February 2018 Homes England started preparing a planning brief with a view to marketing the old shire hall as a property with potential for conversion into apartments.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Historic England. "Old Shire Hall, Bury St Edmunds (1460009)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  2. ↑ "Shire Hall Development Brief" (PDF). Suffolk County Council. 1 May 2008. p. 4. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  3. 1 2 "Character Assessment of the Shire Hall Complex, Bury St Edmunds" (PDF). West Suffolk Council. pp. 9–10. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  4. ↑ "Local Government Act 1888". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  5. ↑ Historic England. "St Margaret's House, Bury St Edmunds (1375562)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  6. ↑ "The late Twentieth Century 1946-2000". St Edmundsbury Chronicle. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  7. ↑ "McMorran & Whitby". A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  8. ↑ "The west may rise again!". East Anglian Daily Times. 6 May 2008. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  9. ↑ "Bury St Edmunds: New Shire Hall in Raingate Street is being turned into a Premier Inn". East Anglian Daily Times. 30 June 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  10. ↑ "New Premier Inn hotel in Bury St Edmunds to create up to 28 jobs". East Anglian Daily Times. 16 October 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  11. ↑ "End of an era as Bury St Edmunds Magistrates' Courts closes down after 440 years dispensing justice". East Anglian Daily Times. 6 October 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  12. ↑ "Former magistrates' court could become 18 homes". Suffolk News. 24 February 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
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