Taunton Shire Hall
| Taunton Shire Hall | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Taunton Shire Hall | |
| Location | Taunton, Somerset |
| Coordinates | 51°00′46″N 3°06′28″W / 51.0128°N 3.1077°W |
| Built | 1858 |
| Architect | William Bonython Moffatt |
| Architectural style(s) | Gothic style |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Designated | 4 July 1975 |
| Reference no. | 1059958 |
  Location of Taunton Shire Hall in Somerset | |
Taunton Shire Hall is a municipal building on Shuttern in Taunton, Somerset. The Shire Hall, which serves as a Crown Court, is a Grade II listed building.[1]
History
Since the English Civil War, when the castle was repaired, the county assizes had been held in Taunton Castle.[2] Indeed, it was at Taunton Castle that, in the aftermath of the Monmouth Rebellion, Judge Jeffreys held the Bloody Assizes from 17 September 1685 to 19 September 1685.[3][4][5] After the justices decided, in the mid-19th century, that the facilities the castle were no longer adequate, they chose to procure a new purpose-built building on a site to the south west of the castle.[2]
The foundation stone for the building was laid by the
Shortly after the building opened, a bust of the locally-born naval commander, Admiral Robert Blake, by Edgar Papworth was installed in the reception area.[6][7] A bust of the locally-born novelist and dramatist, Henry Fielding, was unveiled by the American Romantic poet, James Russell Lowell, on 8 September 1883[8][9] and a bust of the locally-born soldier, Colonel John Chard VC, was unveiled by the Commander-in-Chief of the Forces, Field Marshal Viscount Wolseley, on 2 November 1898[10]
The Shire Hall continued to be used as a facility for dispensing justice but, following the implementation of the
After the County Council moved to County Hall in 1935, the former Shire Hall continued to be used as a Crown Court.[2] A programme of refurbishment works were completed in 2018 following the discovery of structural issues with the building.[13]
References
- ^ a b c Historic England. "Shire Hall, Taunton (1059958)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ a b c d e "Shire Hall in Taunton: The fascinating history of this 162-year-old building that needs urgent repairs". Somerset Live. 11 April 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
- ^ "Taunton Castle". Everything Exmoor. Archived from the original on 5 May 2008. Retrieved 21 November 2007.
- ^ "The Bloody Assize". Somerset County Council. Archived from the original on 7 August 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
- ^ "Donald E. Wilkes, Jr. Collection: The Bloody Assizes". University of Georgia. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
- ^ "Interior Ground Floor Waiting And Reception Area Detail Of Bust To Robert Blake". Historic England. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
- ^ Papworth, Wyatt (1895). . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 43. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 194–195.
- ^ "Fielding". The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser. 27 October 1883. p. 774. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
- ^ "Unveiling the Bust of Fielding at the Shire Hall, Taunton". Look and Learn. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
- ^ Vetch, Robert Hamilton (1901). . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography (1st supplement). Vol. 1. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
- ^ "Local Government Act 1888". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
- ^ "Somerset County Council". Imperial war Museum. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
- ^ "Builders called in as urgent repairs needed at Taunton Crown Court". Somerset Live. 9 April 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2020.