Guildhall, Bath
Encyclopedia
The Guildhall in Bath, Somerset
, England was built between 1775 and 1778 by Thomas Baldwin
to designs by Thomas Warr Attwood
. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building.
The current Bath stone
building replaced a Stuart Guildhall, built in 1625, which itself replaced an earlier Tudor
structure.
The facade has 4 Ionic
columns and the building is surmounted by the figure of Justice. The central dome was added in 1893. It forms a continuous building with the Victoria Art Gallery
and the covered market.
The interior includes a banqueting hall with engaged Corinthian
columns. It contains 18th century chandeliers and original royal portraits. The room is used on royal visits to the city including Queen Elizabeth II who had lunch in the banqueting room in May 2002.
It now houses the Council Chamber and Register office
for Bath and North East Somerset
and is used as a wedding venue, and for filming period dramas. The Guildhall also serves as one of the venues for the Bath International Music Festival
.
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England was built between 1775 and 1778 by Thomas Baldwin
Thomas Baldwin (architect)
Thomas Baldwin was an English surveyor and architect in Bath.He did not originally hail from Bath but was first recorded in the city in 1774, where he was initially a clerk to plumber, glazier, and politician Thomas Warr Attwood. By 1775, he was appointed as the Bath City Architect after...
to designs by Thomas Warr Attwood
Thomas Warr Attwood
Thomas Warr Attwood was an English builder, architect and local politician in Bath.He was a member of a prominent local family and a member of the city Council from 1760. Although he held no formal appointment, he acted as city surveyor and architect...
. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building.
The current Bath stone
Bath Stone
Bath Stone is an Oolitic Limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England, its warm, honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of Bath, England its distinctive appearance...
building replaced a Stuart Guildhall, built in 1625, which itself replaced an earlier Tudor
Tudor style architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
structure.
The facade has 4 Ionic
Ionic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
columns and the building is surmounted by the figure of Justice. The central dome was added in 1893. It forms a continuous building with the Victoria Art Gallery
Victoria Art Gallery
The Victoria Art Gallery is free public art museum in Bath, Somerset, England.The building was designed in 1897 by John McKean Brydon, and has been designated as a Grade II listed building. The exterior of the building includes a statue of Queen Victoria, by A. C. Lucchesi, and friezes of...
and the covered market.
The interior includes a banqueting hall with engaged Corinthian
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
columns. It contains 18th century chandeliers and original royal portraits. The room is used on royal visits to the city including Queen Elizabeth II who had lunch in the banqueting room in May 2002.
It now houses the Council Chamber and Register office
Register office
A register office is a British term for a civil registry, a government office and depository where births, deaths and marriages are officially recorded and where you can get officially married, without a religious ceremony...
for Bath and North East Somerset
Bath and North East Somerset
Bath and North East Somerset is a unitary authority that was created on 1 April 1996 following the abolition of the County of Avon. It is part of the Ceremonial county of Somerset...
and is used as a wedding venue, and for filming period dramas. The Guildhall also serves as one of the venues for the Bath International Music Festival
Bath International Music Festival
The Bath International Music Festival, also known as the Bath Music Fest, is held each summer in Bath, South West England. Inaugurated in 1948, the festival includes many genres such as orchestral, contemporary jazz, folk and electronica...
.