Description

1.
1260 ST HELEN'S STREET
(South Side)

County Hall
Main entrance block
TM 1644 NE 2/319

II

2.
An early C19 grey gault brick building formerly the courthouse, now the
Shire Hall. The C18 gaol stood at the rear (now demolished). It was designed
by W McIntosh Brooks in 1836, in the Tudor style. Its powerful design well
characterises its original purpose. The frontage is about 150 ft long,
with a central entrance, block with twin castellated tower, castellated
side wings and 2 slightly projecting end pavilions. The central entrance block has
sham machicolations and a stone mullioned and transomed window, casements
with glazing bars, in splayed stone reveals. The windows in the towers have
stone hood moulds. A central entrance door has heavy double doors, each
of 8 panels with a heavy portcullis grille above, set in a 4 centred moulded
brick arch. The side wings are unfenestrated apart from 4 heavily barred
windows low down in the east wing. The end pavilions have 4 centred arched
windows with splayed stone reveals and hood moulds on the ground storey and
stone mullioned and transomed windows with splayed stone reveals on the 1st
storey. A moulded stone string course runs across the wings and end pavilions,
with a central carved stone coat of arms in each wing. The front rises above
a deep battered stone plinth. A shield above the entrance doors bears the
date 1837.

Listing NGR: TM1684944528

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26502823

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cork: City and County (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Old House Handbook 2 Books Bundle Collection (Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair,Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability)
• 
  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2