Listed Building record MWX330 - The Guildhall, St Edmund Street, Weymouth

Guildhall, St Edmund Street. Design attributed to Talbot Bury 1836-37. On the site of the old Town Hall, Melcombe Regis. <1-2>

<1> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3 (Monograph). SDO150.

‘(10) The Guildhall (Plate 180), at the junction of St. Edmund Street and St. Mary Street, is of two storeys with walls of Portland stone ashlar. It was built in 1836–7; the design is attributed to Talbot Bury. The plan is rectangular and incorporates police offices and cells on the ground floor, with a Council Chamber and Court Room on the floor above.

The main N. front of the Guildhall is of five bays; the lower storey is rusticated and forms a classical basement projecting in the middle to carry an Ionic tetrastyle portico with a pediment. Under the portico the lower storey is pierced by round-headed archways. In the main wall above, behind the colonnade, are three rectangular double-hung sash windows, the central one under a cornice. The flanking bays have corner pilasters and each contains a round-headed window in the lower storey and a tripartite window in the first floor, the latter with pilaster strips dividing the lights and supporting a simplified entablature extending from portico to corner pilaster. At the wall head is a full entablature returned from the portico and a parapet-wall extending between pedestals. The W. return wall has main horizontal divisions similar to those described above; the ground floor originally had an open arcade of five round-headed archways with a narrow walk behind but they are now filled in; the first floor is divided by pilasters into five bays, the end bays blank and the others each containing a window.

Inside, the ground floor has a central entrance hall with a staircase on the S. and police offices and cells to E. and W. On the first floor, the Court Room (44¼ ft. by 20 ft.) has walls divided into bays by Roman Doric pilasters, a panelled ceiling and an open screen of two square columns supporting an entablature dividing off the W. end of the room (Plate 180); here on a raised dais are the magistrate's desk and chair and the jury and witness boxes; to the S.W. is a magistrate's room. The Council Chamber (17 ft. by 31¼ ft.) extends the full width of the building on the E.; it contains a concave-fronted dais carrying a long curved desk of wood with cast-iron legs.

The Guildhall contains the following fittings: Chest, in Court Room, of iron, probably 16th-century; a similar chest is preserved in the Municipal Offices. Royal Arms: In Council Chamber, two, (1) of George I (Plate 60), painted on canvas in wooden frame, dated 1721, perhaps given by Sir James Thornhill, who was elected Member of Parliament for Weymouth in that year; (2) of Victoria, carved in wood and inscribed 'presented by Mr. Alderman Hancock, A.D. 1842'. In Court Room, reset on W. wall, (3) of James I (Plate 60), in wood carved in high relief and flanked by two female figures representing Peace and Plenty reclining upon symbols of war, the whole surmounting an enriched frieze carved with four cherubs' heads and the royal motto 'Dieu et Mon Droit'. Sculpture: in niche on main staircase, white marble statue of Samuel Weston, a former mayor, died 1817, represented as seated figure holding scroll in left hand, on inscribed pedestal, signed 'Theakston, Sculp: 1821'. Miscellanea: chair, of oak, 17th-century; Constables' brass staves, seven, all numbered, set incomplete, early 19th-century; Beadle's staff of wood, late 18th-century.
Corporation Insignia and Plate etc. Maces: (i, ii) pair, 39¾ ins. long, silver-gilt, assay marks not visible but made during Commonwealth by Thomas Maundy who had the monopoly for making civic maces; maker's mark on one mace only, loyal inscriptions and Stuart arms added 1660, further alterations 1824; said to have been given by Alderman James Bower in 1824; of normal late mace form with crowned bowl-shaped head (Plate 39) linked to shaft by four figure scrolls, shaft with upper and middle knops and elaborate knop at end with acorn terminal; embossing on bowl at head in four arcaded panels containing cross of St. George twice, Irish harp, and arms of Weymouth, the last possibly replacing second harp; annular band above inscribed 'THE FREEDOME OF ENGLAND BY GODS BLESSING RESTORED 1660' (fn. 8) ; top beneath crown with Stuart arms and cartouches containing harps and crosses of St. George, finial of crown with cartouches containing two Irish harps and two crowned roses, the latter replacing crosses of St. George; (iii, iv) small maces (Plate 38), pair 18¾ ins. and 21¼ ins. in length, the former much repaired, of gilded silver over iron core, 17th-century, each with shallow cylindrical head engraved with Stuart Royal arms and connected to shaft by concave necking and zoomorphic scrolls, shaft with large central knop and flanged end. Mayoral Chain and Badge: (v) chain of linked silver-gilt Ss in three lengths 1 ft. 7½ ins., 3 ft., 1 ft. 7½ ins., possibly late mediaeval, joined together by three crowned trophies of emblems of England, Scotland and Ireland with royal motto, by Rundell, Bridge and Rundell, c. 1823; badge, of silver-gilt, oval 23/8 ins. long, obverse with arms in relief of Weymouth as (vii) below and inscribed 'For use of the Mayor of the Boro' of Weymouth & Melcombe Regis', reverse inscribed in gold on blue enamel field 'Presented to the Corporation of Weymouth and Melcombe Regis by William Oakley Esqr. Bailiff and Alderman 1823'. Seals (Plate 37): Borough—(vi) of Melcombe, half of double matrix of latten, 2 ins. diam., with intaglio of singlemasted ship, the mast flanked by shields both quarterly Castile and Leon, legend SIGILLUM: COMVNIE: DE: MELCOMA, 13th-century; (vii) of Melcombe Regis, of brass or latten, 17/8 ins. diam, with intaglio of three-masted vessel with sails furled flanked by letters ST, mainmast bearing shield Castile and Leon in first two quarters (others blank), 16th-century, remounted; (viii) of brass, 13/8 ins. diam. with intaglio of shield with escutcheon of leopards of England in chief and embattled bridge in base, legend WAYMOVTH AND MELCOMB REGIS, late 17th-century; (ix) of brass, 17/8 ins. diam. with intaglio of scrolled shield charged as (viii), legend WAYMOVTH AND MELCOMBE REGIS, mid 18th-century; (x) of brass, 1 13/16 ins. diam. with intaglio of shaped shield with an embattled bridge and in chief an escutcheon with three chevrons above the three leopards of England, legend in buckled strap TOWN COUNCIL OF WEYMOUTH AND MELCOMBE REGIS, handle inscribed 'The Gift of James Flower Esqr. Mayor 1837'. Mayoral—(xi) of Melcombe Regis, of latten, 1½ ins. diam. with intaglio of shield suspended on guige and charged with leopards of England, legend SIGILL'• MAIORATVS VILL'• D'• MELCOVB' REG', mid 14th-century; (xii) of copper, 2¼ ins. diam., with intaglio of shaped shield charged as (x), legend SIGILLVM • MAYIOR • DE • WAYMOTH • ET MELCOMBE • REGIS, 17th-century. Admiral's seal (xiii) of copper, 23/8 ins. diam., with intaglio of threemasted vessel, mainsail displaying the arms three chevrons above the leopards of England, legend SIGILLVM . ADMIRALIS . DE WAYMOTH . ET MELCOMBE . REGIS, 17th-century.’

<2> Newman, J, and Pevsner, N, 1972, The Buildings of England: Dorset, 452 (Monograph). SWX1290.

<3> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 1:1250, 1972 (Map). SWX1844.

(SY 6894 7875) Guildhall [NAT]

<4> Department of the Environment, 14 June 1974, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest: Borough of Weymouth and Portland 1974, 129 (Scheduling record). SWX1839.

<5> National Record of the Historic Environment, 867987 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Dec 3 2022 7:48AM