Description

SK 49 SW ROTHERHAM HOWARD STREET
(north-east side)
5/51 Town Hall including County
31.12.73 Juvenile Court, Town Hall
Assembly Rooms and No 33
Effingham Street (part of
item formerly listed as
Town Hall).
GV II
Civic offices with attached courthouse, assembly rooms and shop. Some fabric of
1853 but mostly of 1896-97 by Mr Lovell of London (Council minute October 1893;
Whites directory 1917). Deeply-coursed, tooled sandstone, Welsh slate roof.
Occupies full length of Howard Street with right return on Effingham Street
(Town Hall Assembly rooms with shop on corner beneath) and left return on
Frederick Street (County Juvenile Court). Town Hall offices occupy central part
of Howard Street elevation. Irregular composition with Classical and Jacobean
details. Mostly 2 storeys 1:3:3:4:5: bays to Howard Street with polygonal
projection at junction with Frederick Street and total of 6 lst-floor windows
beyond; right corner bay and 6 bays facing Effingham Street.
Plinth and lst-floor band (various heights). Principal entrance from Howard
Street has rusticated round arch flanked by blocked Ionic columns with canopy on
console brackets. Two round-headed sashes to left have quoined jambs, impost
band and rusticated arches. Large, transomed window above has 5-light flanked
by matching blind panels, upper lights keyed. Two cornices separated by swagged
panel set beneath shaped gable blind arcade. Three-bay block to left, set
forward has rusticated ground floor and quoins above. Three 3-light windows
with depressed round arches and round-headed lights. Cartouche and apron to
elaborate Ionic Venetian window with blocked archivolt to central light breaking
into a boldly swagged frieze; modillioned cornice. Polygonal projection to
left end of this block has narrow ground and lst-floor windows linked by strips
and with swagged aprons to 1st floor, pediments with linking cornices.
Four bays to right of principal entrance: round-headed sashes to ground floor
with quoined jambs and keyed arches linked by impost band. First floor sashes
with apron panels and moulded sills to shouldered and eared architraves with
pediments. Cornice with parapet rising to right as false gable with blind
arcading beneath finialled pediment; octagonal turret projection to its right.
Five bays beyond have central bay and quoined strip to right breaking forward.
Ground-floor sashes in blocked architraves with keyed flat arches. Tall cross-
windows to 1st floor have sill blocks, blocked architraves and pediments;
scrolled pediment above central bay. Cornice with parapet rising as pediment
above central bay. Corner bay has C20 shop front to ground floor beneath
transomed 4-light window flanked by pilasters. Cornice beneath small round-
arched lights with keystones. Parapet with carved panel inscribed 'TOWN HALL/
ASSEMBLY ROOMS'.
Right return: assembly hall entrances to right of C20 shop front. Quoined strip
to left with adjacent lst-floor windows as Howard Street facade. Four bays
beyond have lst-floor windows with aprons and segmental pediments and 2nd-storey
windows with keyed architraves; all in quoined surrounds. Cornice and parapet
as on Howard Street.
Left return : segmental pediment to door in polygonal projection. 3 windows
to left as bays 2, 3, 4 on Howard Street. Three 3-light windows to 1st
floor with transoms and pediments linked by cornices. Doorway to left flanked
by Ionic columns and with fanlight beneath keyed archivolt; matching
archivolts to flanking 4-pane sashes. Segmental pediment of door breaks into
apron of 3-light transomed window with single, transomed window to each side,
pediments linked by cornice, parapet with ball finials. Attached buildings to
left not of special interest.
Hipped roofs with a variety of stacks and lanterns. Flat roof to polygonal
projection.
Interior : Town Hall entrance has mosaic floor with Rotherham arms, Ionic
columns. Mahogany-panelled Mayor's Parlour. Oak panelling to other rooms.
Decorative ironwork balustrade to stairs, stained glass stair window with arms.
More stained glass in 5-light windows of Council Chamber, ornate roof trusses.
Assembly Hall retains good iron balustrade to balcony.
Assembly Room building built as Rotherham and Masborough Literary Mechanics
Institute in 1853. Extensively refronted when incorporated into the Town Hall
complex. Photographs of its earlier facade in Neville and Benson (plate 23).
R.G. Neville and J. Benson, Rotherham As It Was, 1976.

Listing NGR: SK4290793069

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26601062

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

• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Setting up a Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement: Historic England Advice Note 5
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)