Shire Hall and Attached Railings, Gates and Lamp Standards

SHIRE HALL AND ATTACHED RAILINGS, GATES AND LAMP STANDARDS, MARKET SQUARE

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Overview

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II*
List Entry Number:
1298177
Date first listed:
16-Jan-1951
List Entry Name:
Shire Hall and Attached Railings, Gates and Lamp Standards
Statutory Address:
SHIRE HALL AND ATTACHED RAILINGS, GATES AND LAMP STANDARDS, MARKET SQUARE
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Date:
1999-08-22
Reference:
IOE01/01813/32
Rights:
© Mr Chris Ayre. Source: Historic England Archive

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II*
List Entry Number:
1298177
Date first listed:
16-Jan-1951
Date of most recent amendment:
16-Feb-1994
List Entry Name:
Shire Hall and Attached Railings, Gates and Lamp Standards
Statutory Address 1:
SHIRE HALL AND ATTACHED RAILINGS, GATES AND LAMP STANDARDS, MARKET SQUARE

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:
SHIRE HALL AND ATTACHED RAILINGS, GATES AND LAMP STANDARDS, MARKET SQUARE

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County:
Staffordshire
District:
Stafford (District Authority)
Parish:
Non Civil Parish
National Grid Reference:
SJ 92231 23306

Details

STAFFORD

SJ9223SW MARKET SQUARE 590-1/10/68 (East side) 16/01/51 Shire Hall and attached railings, gates and lamp standards (Formerly Listed as: MARKET SQUARE Shire Hall) (Formerly Listed as: MARKET SQUARE Railings, gates and lamp standards of Shire Hall)

GV II*

County court house. 1795-8, extended 1854. By John Harvey, a pupil of Samuel Wyatt, who may have contributed to the design. Neo-classical style. MATERIALS: ashlar with hipped slate roof; brick rear wings. PLAN: double-depth. EXTERIOR: 2 storeys; symmetrical 9-window range; ground floor breaks forward under 3-window centre with applied tetrastyle Doric portico with Ionic entablature. Ground floor is rusticated; 1st floor sill band; top frieze, cornice and blocking course. Round-headed entrance in recess with similar flanking recesses has C20 paired doors. 1st floor has windows with 6/9-pane sashes, those flanking centre with wrought-iron window box supports, and alternately rectangular and round panels above. Pediment has clock with flanking relief figures. Right return has similar details; a 3-window range; ground floor has 3 round-headed blind windows, 2 with fanlights, one to right end with inserted entrance with studded paired doors; 1st floor has blind window with panel over flanked by tripartite windows in round-headed recesses with 12:24:12-pane sashes, cornices and round panels to tympana. Left return similar, 4-window range; with 3rd tripartite sash to left end; 2 windows have 2:4:2-pane horned tripartite sashes. Rear wing to left has ashlar dressings; windows have wedge lintels over varied sashes; short elliptical arcade and left end carriage entrance. INTERIOR: double-height Shire Hall is full width of facade; top entablature with bucrania and festoons, and segmental barrel vault; side has segmental-headed entrance with similar flanking recesses with cast-iron railings and central gate. Canted recess above has Ionic colonnade with 2 pairs of columns and single columns to ends and balustrade, paired doors with large fanlight to rear; similar end recesses with tetrastyle colonnades. Ceiling has guilloche bands and 3 rosettes, formerly with chandeliers. Stair to rear is probably C19, with turned balusters and C19 screen with stained glass panels. Court No.1 to left has canted ends and entablature with swags and coved ceiling with large rose; contemporary panelling and fittings including jury box, public gallery, and prisoner's box with spiked railings; end wall has hipped canopy with central bowed projection over judge's chair, with Royal arms above; right wall has memorial to Sir TN Talfourd, d 1854 while addressing grand jury, in form of pedimented panel with bust in niche. Court No.2 has mostly C18 fittings with flush panels; C20 suspended ceiling; fluted elliptical canopy above judge's seat. Some original cells remain to basement. SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: centre of building has cast-iron railings, with spear finials and 4 wreathed panels with lamp standards, and gates; railings originally extended along the whole facade. One of the finest public buildings in Stafford. The railings, gates and lamp standards were listed on 17.12.71. (Buildings of England: Pevsner N and Nairn J: Staffordshire: London: 1974-: 243; Victoria County History of Staffordshire: Greenslade MW: A History of Stafford: London: 1979-: 202).

Listing NGR: SJ9223123306

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:
384014
Legacy System:
LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Page, W, The Victoria History of the County of Stafford, (1979), 202
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Staffordshire, (1974), 243

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.

Ordnance survey map of Shire Hall and Attached Railings, Gates and Lamp Standards

Map

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 04-Jun-2026 at 12:51:35.

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End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

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