Pershore Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street in Pershore, a town in Worcestershire, in England. Originally commissioned as a post office, it is now the headquarters of Pershore Town Council.
| Pershore Town Hall | |
|---|---|
 The building in 2016 | |
| Location | High Street, Pershore |
| Coordinates | 52°06′40″N 2°04′32″W / 52.1111°N 2.0756°W |
| Built | 1932 |
| Architect | Henry Seccombe |
| Architectural style(s) | Neoclassical style |
  Shown in Worcestershire | |
History edit
The council offices edit
.jpg)
A sanitary district was established in the Pershore area in 1875. In 1894, it was succeeded by Pershore Rural District Council, which initially met in the boardroom at the local workhouse in Station Road.[1][2]
In the mid-1930s, the council decided to acquire a three-storey private house, No. 37 High Street, to serve as its offices. The building had been designed in the neoclassical style, built in red brick with stone dressings and had been completed in the mid-18th century. The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of three bays facing onto the High Street. The central bay, which was slightly projected forward, featured a porch formed by a pair of Ionic order columns supporting an open pediment, with sash windows with voussoirs and keystones on the first and second floors. The outer bays were fenestrated by bay windows on the ground and first floors and by Diocletian windows on the second floor. At roof level, there was a modillioned cornice.[3]
No. 37 High Street was acquired by the council in 1937 and continued to serve as its offices for much of the 20th century, but ceased to be the local seat of government when Wychavon District Council was formed in 1974.[4] It was subsequently converted for commercial use and is now occupied by a firm of solicitors, Thomson & Bancks.[5]
The current town hall edit
The current town hall was originally commissioned as a post office, replacing an earlier post office on the same site, and was erected facing the old council offices. It was designed by Henry Seccombe in the neoclassical style, built in red brick with stone finishings and was completed in 1932. The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of five bays facing onto the High Street. The end bays featured doorways with stone surrounds, voussoirs and keystones. The central three bays on the ground floor were fenestrated by round headed windows with architraves and keystones, while all the bays on the first floor were fenestrated by sash windows, and all the bays at attic level were fenestrated by dormer windows. A projecting clock, intended to commemorate the lives of local service personnel who died in the Second World War, was installed above the central window on the ground floor in October 1953. It was replaced as part of celebrations for the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 1977.[6]
In 1973, the post-office was recategorised as a sub-post office, and in the late 1990s, it moved into the town's Tesco supermarket. The building was subsequently purchased by Pershore Town Council, which conducted alterations and in 2002 reopened it as the town hall.[7][8] A council chamber and a small council members' room, were established on the ground floor.[9] The Pershore Heritage Centre, which opened in 1995, moved to the first floor of the building in 2003.[7] Its collection includes a series of folders documenting the events of the Second World War in the Vale, the acquisition of which were funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.[10]
A memorial garden, intended to commemorate the lives of people who died during the COVID-19 pandemic, was established in the walkway to the south of the town hall in March 2021.[11]
References edit
- ^ "Worcestershire". Kelly's Directory. 1898. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
- ^ "Pershore". Workhouses. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
- ^ Historic England. "37, High Street (1387076)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
- ^ Local Government Act 1972. 1972 c.70. The Stationery Office Ltd. 1997. ISBN 0-10-547072-4.
- ^ "Contact us". Thomson & Bancks. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
- ^ "Pershore WW2 Memorial Clock". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
- ^ a b Freeman, Marion (2010). Pershore Through Time. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1445630250.
- ^ "Writing is on the wall for Pershore town hall". Worcester News. 28 November 2002. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ^ "Pershore Town Hall". Pershore Town Council. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ^ "The Heritage Centre – Open From April to October". Pershore Heritage Centre. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
- ^ "Pershore memorial garden for loved ones lost to Covid-19". BBC. 22 March 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2024.