Cambridge Guildhall
Encyclopedia
Cambridge Guildhall is a listed building designed in 1939 by Charles Cowles-Voysey
in the centre of the historic city of Cambridge
, England
. It includes two halls, The Large Hall and The Small Hall, and is used for many disparate events such as comedy acts, conferences, craft fairs, live music, talks, and weddings. It is also used by University of Cambridge
for certain examinations. It is owned and managed by Cambridge City Council
, and it is their seat of government.
The Guildhall is located on the south side of Market Hill
, the market square
in Cambridge, between Peas Hill
to the west and Guildhall Street
to the east.
in the 1220s. Part of it was used as a prison
. An adjoining synagogue
was leased to the Franciscan
s who later moved to a convent
on a site where Sidney Sussex College
now stands. The premises became the Cambridge Town Hall or "Tolbooth" as it was known then since its main function concerned tolls for entry to the town and trading at the market.
The building was raised on arches with market stalls below. The current Market Square was mainly filled with buildings at the time and not cleared until 1849 when a major fire occurred. In 1747, a Shire Hall was built on the open area at the front, on arches with stalls beneath. The Shire Hall and the Tollbooth were connected by a wooden bridge over Butter Row, a market street with stalls selling dairy product
s.
In 1842, after the Law Courts were built on Castle Hill
the Shire Hall and a new Town Hall built in 1782 on the site of the old one were combined into a single Guildhall. The present Guildhall on the site of the two original buildings, was completed in 1939, after the designs of Charles Cowles-Voysey
.
In 2009 the Guildhall was refurbished and offers better facilities for disabled access and box office
sales.
Charles Cowles-Voysey
Charles Cowles-Voysey was born in London, UK on 24 June 1889 and died there on 10 April 1981. He was the son of Charles Voysey and was responsible for the design of Kingsley Hall which included a main hall also used for worship, and five rooftop cells for community volunteers.John Brandon-Jones...
in the centre of the historic city of Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It includes two halls, The Large Hall and The Small Hall, and is used for many disparate events such as comedy acts, conferences, craft fairs, live music, talks, and weddings. It is also used by University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
for certain examinations. It is owned and managed by Cambridge City Council
Cambridge City Council
Cambridge City Council may refer to:* Cambridge City Council, England* Cambridge City Council, Massachusetts, USA* Cambridge, Ontario City Council, Canada...
, and it is their seat of government.
The Guildhall is located on the south side of Market Hill
Market Hill, Cambridge
Market Hill is the location of the marketplace in central Cambridge, England. Operating as a marketplace since Saxon times, a daily outdoor market with stalls continues to run there....
, the market square
Market square
The market square is a feature of many European and colonial towns. It is an open area where market stalls are traditionally set out for trading, commonly on one particular day of the week known as market day....
in Cambridge, between Peas Hill
Peas Hill
Peas Hill is a street in central Cambridge, England. It runs between Wheeler Street to the south and Market Hill to the north. King's Parade runs parallel with the street to the west...
to the west and Guildhall Street
Guildhall Street, Cambridge
Guildhall Street is a street in central Cambridge, England. To the north is the southeast corner of Market Hill at the junction with the pedestrianised shopping street Petty Cury...
to the east.
History
The earliest known property on the site was a house owned by a wealthy Jew called Benjamin. The building was granted to the town by King Henry IIIHenry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
in the 1220s. Part of it was used as a prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
. An adjoining synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
was leased to the Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
s who later moved to a convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
on a site where Sidney Sussex College
Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
Sidney Sussex College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England.The college was founded in 1596 and named after its foundress, Frances Sidney, Countess of Sussex. It was from its inception an avowedly Puritan foundation: some good and godlie moniment for the mainteynance...
now stands. The premises became the Cambridge Town Hall or "Tolbooth" as it was known then since its main function concerned tolls for entry to the town and trading at the market.
The building was raised on arches with market stalls below. The current Market Square was mainly filled with buildings at the time and not cleared until 1849 when a major fire occurred. In 1747, a Shire Hall was built on the open area at the front, on arches with stalls beneath. The Shire Hall and the Tollbooth were connected by a wooden bridge over Butter Row, a market street with stalls selling dairy product
Dairy product
Dairy products are generally defined as foods produced from cow's or domestic buffalo's milk. They are usually high-energy-yielding food products. A production plant for such processing is called a dairy or a dairy factory. Raw milk for processing comes mainly from cows, and, to a lesser extent,...
s.
In 1842, after the Law Courts were built on Castle Hill
Castle Hill, Cambridge
Castle Hill is a hill in Cambridge, England, located in the Castle ward of the city. Cambridgeshire County Council's headquarters, Shire Hall, are located directly adjacent to Castle Hill.-History:...
the Shire Hall and a new Town Hall built in 1782 on the site of the old one were combined into a single Guildhall. The present Guildhall on the site of the two original buildings, was completed in 1939, after the designs of Charles Cowles-Voysey
Charles Cowles-Voysey
Charles Cowles-Voysey was born in London, UK on 24 June 1889 and died there on 10 April 1981. He was the son of Charles Voysey and was responsible for the design of Kingsley Hall which included a main hall also used for worship, and five rooftop cells for community volunteers.John Brandon-Jones...
.
In 2009 the Guildhall was refurbished and offers better facilities for disabled access and box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
sales.