County Offices, Kendal
County Offices | |
---|---|
Neo-Georgian style | |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
Designated | 27 February 2013 |
Reference no. | 1410338 |
The County Offices, also known as County Hall, is a municipal building in Stricklandgate, Kendal, Cumbria, England. The structure, which was the headquarters of Westmorland County Council from 1939 to 1974, is a Grade II listed building.[1] The building serves as the meeting place of Westmorland and Furness Council.
History
In the early 20th century the town hall in Kendal was the meeting place of Westmorland County Council.[2] After finding that the town hall was too cramped to accommodate both the town council and the county council, council leaders decided to procure a dedicated county headquarters: the site they chose was open land on the corner of Stricklandgate and Busher Walk.[3]
The new building, which was designed by Verner Owen Rees in the
After leaving the Royal train at Arnside railway station,[7] Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, visited Westmorland County Hall in August 1956.[8] An emergency control centre, which was intended to accommodate staff in the event of a nuclear attack, was installed in the basement of the building in the 1960s.[9]
Following the implementation of the
Cumbria County Council was abolished on 1 April 2023, with the southern and eastern areas becoming part of the new unitary authority of Westmorland and Furness. The new Westmorland and Furness Council meets at the County Hall.[14][15]
References
- ^ a b Historic England. "County Offices, Kendal (1410338)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- ^ "Kendal Birth & Baptism Records". Retrieved 1 September 2019.
- ^ "Ordnance Survey Map". 1920. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ "Kendal's County Offices granted Grade II listed status". Westmorland Gazette. 20 March 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ "County Hall - Kendal, Cumbria UK - Town Clocks". Waymarking. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ "Westmorland County Council". Memorials Online. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ "The Queen in Westmorland in 1956". The Westmorland Gazette. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ ISBN 978-1445608129.
- ^ "Hundreds take 'chilling' glimpse at Kendal's nuclear bunker". The Westmorland Gazette. 14 September 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
- ISBN 0-10-547072-4.
- ^ "Full Constitution" (PDF). Cumbria County Council. 1 October 2018. p. 3. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
- ^ "Cumbria Archive Service investment and refurbishment". Cumbria Crack. 27 March 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ "Mixed views on coal mine approval as Extinction Rebellion group protest decision". News and Star. 5 October 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ "New council pledges unique HQs for communities". Cumbria Crack. 13 September 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
- ^ "Cabinet agenda, 12 September 2023". Westmorland and Furness Council. Retrieved 16 September 2023.