Amersham Market Hall

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Amersham Market Hall
Amersham Old Town, The Market Hall - geograph.org.uk - 419014.jpg
Amersham Market Hall
LocationHigh Street, Amersham
Coordinates51°39′59″N 0°37′01″W / 51.6665°N 0.6169°W / 51.6665; -0.6169Coordinates: 51°39′59″N 0°37′01″W / 51.6665°N 0.6169°W / 51.6665; -0.6169
Built1682
Architectural style(s)Neoclassical style
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official nameMarket Hall
Designated22 December 1958
Reference no.1221420
Amersham Market Hall is located in Buckinghamshire
Amersham Market Hall
Shown in Buckinghamshire

Amersham Market Hall, formerly known as Amersham Town Hall, is a municipal building in the High Street in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England. The structure, which was the meeting place of Amersham Rural District Council, is a Grade II* listed building.[1]

History[]

The town received a royal charter, allowing it to hold markets, from King John in 1200.[2] For several centuries the market took the form of a series of stalls in an area which extended from the High Street in the west to Broadway in the east until a medieval market hall was erected in Broadway in the early 17th century.[3] A series of seditious papers were posted in the building in 1653.[3] After the old structure became dilapidated, the local member of parliament, Sir William Drake, who lived at Shardeloes, decided to construct a more substantial market building for the benefit of the town: the site he selected was in the High Street, to the west of the original building.[4]

The new building was designed in the neoclassical style, built in red brick with stone dressings and was completed in 1682.[1] It was arcaded on the ground floor so that markets could be held, with an assembly room on the first floor.[1] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with six bays facing onto the south side of the High Street: this elevation featured a row of casement windows on the first floor with a coat of arms of the Drake family in the centre.[1] There were quoins at the corners, a modillioned cornice at roof level and an octagonal wooden cupola above.[1] An inscription stated that the bell in the cupola was manufactured by a Christopher Hudson.[4] A village lock-up for petty criminals was installed in the north-east corner of the building at an early stage, a water pump was erected in 1785 and a horse-drawn fire station was installed in the arcaded area in the late 19th century.[4] Trade guild meetings, school classes, magistrates' court hearings and political meetings were all held in the assembly room.[5]

After significant population growth, partly due to its status as a market town, the area became a rural district with the market hall as the council's meeting place in 1894.[6] It was restored in 1911 at the expense of the then lord of the manor, William Wykeham Tyrrwhitt-Drake, and a plaque, bearing the inscription "Restored 1911 W. W. T. D." was installed below the coat of arms on the High Street elevation.[4][7]

The new council acquired ownership of the building, which became known as the "Town Hall",[8][9] from the Drake family.[5] It was used as a recruiting station for Kitchener's Army at the start of the First World War.[5] Civic meetings continued to be held in the assembly room on the first floor of the building until 1931 when the council moved to Elmodesham House in the High Street.[10] The building was used by the BBC as a filming location for its comedy series, Cuckoo, in 2013.[11]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e Historic England. "Market Hall (1221420)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  2. ^ Page, William (1925). "'The hundred of Burnham: Amersham', in A History of the County of Buckingham". London: British History Online. pp. 141–15. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  3. ^ a b "1-13 Market Square (North)". Amersham Museum. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d "Market Hall". Amersham Museum. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  5. ^ a b c "Venues". Amersham Town Council. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  6. ^ "Amersham RD". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  7. ^ Hunt, Julian (2001). A History of Amersham. Phillimore & Co. ISBN 978-1860771873.
  8. ^ "Amersham Town Hall: Early Picture Post Card". Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  9. ^ Seabright, Colin J. (2009). Amersham Through Time. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1848684041.
  10. ^ "40-44 High Street". Amersham Museum. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  11. ^ Jones, Mark (2014). Film and TV locations in The Chilterns and Thames Valley 1940-2014. Cloud 39 Publications. p. 11.
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