County Hall, Chelmsford
| County Hall, Chelmsford | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Chelmsford, Essex |
| Coordinates | 51°44′05″N 0°28′13″E / 51.7347°N 0.4704°E |
| Built | 1909 |
| Architect | F. Whitmore |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Designated | 26 February 2007 |
| Reference no. | 1391892 |
  Location of County Hall, Chelmsford in Essex | |
Essex County Hall in Chelmsford, Essex is a municipal building and the seat of Essex County Council. Blocks C and D are Grade II listed buildings.[1]
History
Originally the Shire Hall in Chelmsford was the facility established for dispensing justice and hosting civic meetings in the county.[2] In order to facilitate travel arrangements council meetings were actually held in London in the early 20th century.[3]
The oldest part of the current County Hall complex, a red brick building on Duke Street known as Block D, designed by F. Whitmore, was completed in 1909.[1] The most imposing part of the complex, a building clad in Portland Stone on the corner of Duke Street and Threadneedle Street known as Block C, designed by J. Stuart, was built between 1929 and 1939.[1] The geometric pattern carved into Block C has caused controversy as it can be interpreted as a line of swastikas.[4] Sir William Courtauld was the principal benefactor supporting the construction of this building.[5]
A modern 3-storey building in the heart of the complex, known as Block B, followed after the Second World War and a modern 9-storey building on Victoria Road South, known as Block A designed by H. Connolly, was built between 1959 and 1965.[5]
References
- ^ a b c Historic England. "Blocks C & D, County Hall (1391892)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
- ^ "Threadneedle Street, Tindal Street and environs, Chelmsford, 1938". Britain from above. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
- ^ "Conference on Labour History in Essex - Spring 2005" (PDF). Labour Heritage. p. 2. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
- ^ "Swastika building question put to Essex County Council". BBC. 25 February 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
- ^ a b Bettley, James; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2007). Essex (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England). Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0300116144.