Description

The following building shall be added to the list:-

BRAINTREE MARKET SQUARE
TL 7523
(east side)
Town Hall
1/10000 including screens and public
lavatories adjoining NE and S

GV II*

Town Hall, now used as public information centre, museum etc. 1926-8. By
Vincent Harris financed by gift of W J Courtauld. Red Flemish bond brick
with Portland stone dressings, porch and cupola. Concrete roof structure.
Hipped plain tile roof. Double-pile plan with spine corridor, expressed
externally as U-plan with flat roof over stair hall between the wings at
rear. Two storeys and basement with Piano Nobile. 5-bay front. Moulded
cornice and first floor band; sill band to ground floor windows and plinth.
Central Doric porch surmounted by balustrade with urns at angles. Unequal
20-pane sashes. Piano Nobile. 24-pane sashes in moulded architraves with
cornices and aprons. Central French windows beneath fixed light. Architrave
with consoles to egg-and-dart cornice and foliate volute supporters. Doric
cupola in three stages with dome surmounted by female figure with mirror
representing motto 'Hold to the Truth'. Clock face and coat of arms. Side
elevations three bays with similar detailing to front, but two 24-pane
sashes to first floor with small square central light. Similar detailing
to rear except round-headed stained glass window to stairhall in eared
architrave with key block and carved spandrels. Screen wall to north
elevation has pair of round-headed pedestrian gates, dwarf wall and pair
of gateposts surmounted by urns with wrought iron gates. Screen wall to
South elevation with central gates and public conveniences to rear.
Interior: Complete decorative scheme survives virtually unaltered with
panelled rooms and door and light fittings etc. Principal features are the
stone entrance hall; vaulted spine corridor; Imperial staircase with
wrought iron balustrade. First floor Council Chamber barrel-vaulted with
scenes painted on copper panels in the lunettes by Maurice Greiffenhagen,
RA. Chairman's room murals of the Four Seasons by Henry Rushbury RA, and
a County map on the ceiling.

Listing NGR: TL7585423018

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Braintree Town Hall at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q17557696

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

• 
  [(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)
• 
  Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Huddersfield in 50 Buildings
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)