The Shire Hall is a municipal building in Foregate Street in Worcester, England. It 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

The ( 1 & 2 Will. 4. c. xlviii) allowed for ''"erecting a County Hall and Courts of Justice, and also for providing Accommodation for His Majesty's Justices of Assize, in and for the County of Worcester."'' The Shire Hall, which was designed by Charles Day and Henry Rowe in the

Greek Revival style Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

, was completed in 1835. The design involved a symmetrical main frontage facing onto Foregate Street; the central section featured a

hexastyle 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 cultu ...

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 cu ...

with

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

columns supporting a

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

. The principal rooms included a Grand Hall and the courtrooms. Pevsner applauded the "impeccable Grecian design" of the Shire Hall with its "excellent Schinkelish detail". A statue 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 January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

, designed by

Sir Thomas Brock Sir Thomas Brock (1 March 184722 August 1922) was an English sculptor and medallist, notable for the creation of several large public sculptures and monuments in Britain and abroad in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His mo ...

, was unveiled outside the building in 1887. A

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a Musical keyboard, keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provide ...

, designed and manufactured by Nicholson & Co, was installed in the Shire Hall in 1884. The

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

composer,

Antonín Dvořák Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8September 18411May 1904) was a Czech composer. He frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia, following the Romantic-era nationalist example of his predec ...

, toured the UK that year and made a visit to Worcester although no organ pieces were actually played at concerts during his visit. Although originally used as a facility for dispensing justice, following the implementation of the

Local Government Act 1888 The Local Government Act 1888 (51 & 52 Vict. c. 41) was an Act of Parliament (United Kingdom), act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which established county councils and county borough councils in England and Wales. It came into effect ...

, which established county councils in every county, the Shire Hall also became the meeting place for

Worcestershire County Council Worcestershire County Council is the county council for the non-metropolitan county of Worcestershire in England. Its headquarters are at County Hall in Worcester, the county town. The council consists of 57 councillors and there is no over ...

. The county council later also built County Buildings on land immediately north of Shire Hall, facing St Mary's Street, to house its administrative offices. County Buildings was completed in 1930 to the designs of Alfred Vernon Rowe, the county architect. Visitors to the Shire Hall included Princess Elizabeth who entered the building on 8 June 1951 during celebrations associated with the bi-centenary of the Royal Worcester Porcelain Factory. They also included the writer,

John Betjeman Sir John Betjeman, (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architect ...

, who made a controversial speech in the building in 1964 in which he repeated some comments made by his colleague,

James Lees-Milne (George) James Henry Lees-Milne (6 August 1908 – 28 December 1997) was an English writer and expert on country houses, who worked for the National Trust from 1936 to 1973. He was an architectural historian, novelist and biographer. His extens ...

, who had complained about the "vandalism of the modern world" when authoring the Shell Guide to Worcestershire. Following the implementation of the

Courts Act 1971 The Courts Act 1971The citation of this act by this short title is authorised bsection 59(1)of this act. (c. 23) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the purpose of which was to reform and modernise the courts system of England and ...

, the former assizes court was re-designated Worcester Crown Court. After the Worcestershire County Council was abolished in 1974, the new authority,

Hereford and Worcester County Council Hereford and Worcester County Council was the county council of the non-metropolitan county of Hereford and Worcester in west England. It came into its powers on 1 April 1974 and was abolished on 31 March 1998. The county council was based at Co ...

was initially based at the Shire Hall and adjoining County Buildings in Worcester but moved its base to County Hall in Worcester in 1978. The Shire Hall's activities were then restricted to that of a crown court.

References

{{reflist W Grade II* listed buildings in Worcestershire Government buildings completed in 1835 Crown Court buildings Court buildings in England