Weymouth Guildhall is a former

guildhall A guildhall, also known as a "guild hall" or "guild house", is a historical building originally used for tax collecting by municipalities or merchants in Great Britain and the Low Countries. These buildings commonly become town halls and in som ...

at Weymouth,

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

, England. The building, which was constructed in the 1830s, is a Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

History

Weymouth Guildhall was designed by Talbot Bury and constructed between 1836 and 1837. It was built of

Portland stone Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries are cut in beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building sto ...

and includes a "tall projecting portico" and "grand entrance hall". Opened on 25 June 1838, the local council used the upper floor council chamber and court room, while a police station, including cells, was established on the ground floor. The

Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England The Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England (RCHME) was a government advisory body responsible for documenting buildings and monuments of archaeological, architectural and historical importance in England. It was established in 19 ...

described the building as a "suitably dignified building" with a "formal classical statement", but added that it "cannot be fully appreciated as it faces a narrow street". The design included a

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

, arcaded on the ground floor, with four large

Ionic order The Ionic order is one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan (a plainer Doric), and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composite or ...

columns at the first floor level and a

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedimen ...

above. Upon its completion, the guildhall replaced the existing facilities of the Melcombe Regis Town Hall, which had been on the same site, and Weymouth Town Hall.

Petty session Courts of petty session, established from around the 1730s, were local courts consisting of magistrates, held for each petty sessional division (usually based on the county divisions known as hundreds) in England, Wales, and Ireland. The session ...

s for Portland and district were held in the courtroom while the chief of the borough police was based in the police station. The police relocated to new premises on the Dorchester Road in 1955; however the

Weymouth & Portland Borough Council Weymouth and Portland was a local government district and borough in Dorset, England. It consisted of the resort of Weymouth and the Isle of Portland, and includes the areas of Wyke Regis, Preston, Melcombe Regis, Upwey, Broadwey, Southill ...

continued to use the building for meetings into the 21st century. In 2010, some members of the council called for the building to be sold. Most of the building was vacant and it faced essential repair costs. By then the building was still home to the registry office, and an area was in use by the Weymouth Community Volunteers; however the council were holding only a few meetings there each year. The council carried out some essential repair work in 2013 and then sold the building to James Braxton of

Antiques Road Trip ''Antiques Road Trip'' (also known as ''Celebrity Antiques Road Trip'') is a BBC television series produced by STV Studios. It was first shown on BBC Two from 2010 to 2012, and has been shown on BBC One since 2013. This show is not to be confu ...

fame in 2014. At the time, Braxton announced his intention to preserve the building's history and "bring access back" by using the building as both a wedding venue and family holiday lets. Notable items inside the guildhall include a 16th century chest in the courtroom, the Royal Arms of

King James VI and I James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until hi ...

, of King George I and of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

in the council chamber and a white marble statue of the former mayor, Samuel Weston, on the staircase.

References

{{reflist Grade II* listed buildings in Dorset Guildhalls in the United Kingdom Grade II* listed government buildings Buildings and structures in Weymouth, Dorset City and town halls in Dorset Government buildings completed in 1837

History

See also

References