Thetford Guildhall
Thetford Guildhall
LocationMarket Place, Thetford
Coordinates52°24′47″N 0°45′02″E / 52.4130°N 0.7506°E / 52.4130; 0.7506
Built1901
ArchitectHerbert John Green
Architectural style(s)Neoclassical style
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameGuildhall
Designated10 March 1971
Reference no.1207867
Thetford Guildhall is located in Norfolk
Thetford Guildhall
Shown in Norfolk

Thetford Guildhall is a municipal structure in the Market Place in Thetford, Norfolk, England. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Thetford Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.[1]

History

The first building on the site was the hall of the Guild of St Mary which was a medieval structure built in black flint and completed in 1337.[2] Following the Dissolution of the Guilds in 1547, ownership of the building passed to Thetford Corporation when it received its royal charter from Queen Elizabeth I in 1574.[3] The local member of parliament, Sir Joseph Williamson, enlarged the building at his own expense in around 1675,[4] and a local workhouse was established the basement in around 1700.[2] After the medieval structure was found to be unsafe, it was remodelled with a new council chamber and a new courthouse in 1799.[2]

Following a structural survey in the late 19th century, it was discovered that the foundations of the old building were defective and civic leaders decided to rebuild the structure again.[2] The new building was designed by Herbert John Green in the neoclassical style, built in ashlar stone and completed in 1901.[5] The design involved a main frontage at the south west corner of the Market Place: it featured a porch in the corner with one bay to the left facing north and three bays to the right facing east. The doorway within the porch was flanked by Doric order columns supporting a frieze, while the bays to the left and right contained round headed sash windows which were also flanked by Doric order pilasters supporting the frieze. Above the right hand section was a gable containing a Venetian window and, above the gable, there was a clock with a cupola and a weather vane.[1] The town hall continued to serve as the headquarters of the borough until the council relocated to new chambers and offices at King's House in King Street in 1952.[6] A plaque commemorating the airmen of No. 311 Squadron RAF, a Czechoslovak-manned bomber squadron based at RAF Honington during the Second World War, was placed in the bay to the left of the entrance to the guildhall in 1980.[7]

After the guildhall featured in several episodes of the BBC comedy series Dad's Army in the early 1970s,[8][9] the Dad's Army Museum opened at the rear of the guildhall in December 2007[10] and was extended into the basement in February 2009.[2] In June 2020, Thetford Town Council announced that a heritage hub would be established in the guildhall. It was planned that the hub would include an exhibition about the last ruler of the Sikh Empire, Maharaja Duleep Singh, who had settled at Elveden Hall in the 19th century, as well as a display of paintings collected by the Maharaja's son, Prince Frederick.[11][12]

References

  1. 1 2 Historic England. "Guildhall (1207867)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "The Guildhall, Market Place". Norfolk Heritage Explorer. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  3. ↑ "Discovering Thetford: a feasibility study & business case" (PDF). Norwich Heritage and Economic and Regeneration Trust. p. 63. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  4. ↑ Henning, B. D. (1983). The House of Commons 1660-1690. Haynes Publishing. p. 67. ISBN 978-0436192746.
  5. ↑ Pevsner, Nikolaus; Wilson, Bill (1999). Buildings of England Series: Norfolk 2: Norfolk: North-west and South. Yale University Press. p. 345. ISBN 978-0300096576.
  6. ↑ "King's House". Thetford Town Council. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  7. ↑ "311 Czechoslovak Squadron". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  8. ↑ "1934 Rolls-Royce 20/25 h.p. H.J.Mulliner Saloon [GRC33]". Internet Movie Cars Database. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  9. ↑ "Dad's Army". Literary Norfolk. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  10. ↑ "Visit us". Dad's Army Museum. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  11. ↑ "Town's historic Guildhall set to become heritage hub". Thetford and Brandon Times. 7 June 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  12. ↑ "Ancient House, Museum of Thetford Life Report" (PDF). Breckland Area Museums Committee. 25 January 2021. p. 5. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
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