(; ), known as New County Hall between 1966 and 2009, is a municipal facility at Treyew Road in

Truro Truro (; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Cornwall, England; it is the southernmost city in the United Kingdom, just under west-south-west of Charing Cross in London. It is Cornwall's county town, s ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

. Dalvenie House, which is at the north end of the site, is retained for use as the county register office. The building, which serves as the headquarters of

Cornwall Council Cornwall Council ( ), known between 1889 and 2009 as Cornwall County Council (), is the local authority which governs the non-metropolitan county of Cornwall in South West England. Since 2009 it has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary ...

, is a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

History

During the first half of the 20th century

Cornwall County Council Cornwall Council ( ), known between 1889 and 2009 as Cornwall County Council (), is the local authority which governs the non-metropolitan county of Cornwall in South West England. Since 2009 it has been a unitary authority, having taken over di ...

held its meetings at the Old County Hall at Station Road in Truro. After deciding that the Old County Hall was inadequate for their needs, council leaders decided to procure a new purpose-built building: the site selected had been occupied by the grounds of a private house known as Dalvenie House, as well as some surrounding fields. The new building was designed by the County Architect, Francis Kenneth Hicklin, and his successor, Alan Groves, in the

Brutalist style Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by minimalist constructions that showcase the ba ...

and was officially opened by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

on 14 July 1966. The design involved a three-storey square concrete-framed structure with circa 50 bays on each side; the bays contained a window on each floor flanked by concrete slabs. Internally, the principal room was the council chamber which was on the first floor and was

cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is unsupported at one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cantilev ...

ed out of the main building on the east side. There was a courtyard, landscaped by Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe, in the centre of the building; a sculpture by

Barbara Hepworth Dame Jocelyn Barbara Hepworth (10 January 1903 – 20 May 1975) was an English artist and sculptor. Her work exemplifies Modernism and in particular modern sculpture. Along with artists such as Ben Nicholson and Naum Gabo, Hepworth was a leadin ...

, known as "Rock form, Porthcurno", was unveiled in the courtyard garden when the building opened. Following the abolition of Cornwall County Council in April 2009, the building became the headquarters of the new

unitary authority A unitary authority is a type of local government, local authority in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Unitary authorities are responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are ...

. This was followed by an extensive programme of refurbishment works, to a design by Poynton Bradbury Wynter Cole of St Ives, which was completed in 2013. The building contains an extensive collection of modern art including a painting by the Cornish fisherman and artist,

Alfred Wallis Alfred Wallis (18 August 1855 – 29 August 1942) was a British artist and fisherman, known for his port landscapes and shipping scenes painted in a naïve style. Having no artistic training, he began painting at the age of 70, using househo ...

, depicting the harbour entrance at

Penzance Penzance ( ; ) is a town, civil parish and port in the Penwith district of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is the westernmost major town in Cornwall and is about west-southwest of Plymouth and west-southwest of London. Situated in the ...

References

{{Reflist Grade II listed buildings in Cornwall Truro T Government buildings completed in 1966 Brutalist architecture in England Grade II listed government buildings