{{Short description|Municipal building in Bewdley, Worcestershire, England}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}} {{Use British English|date=May 2022}} {{Infobox historic site | name =Bewdley Guildhall | native_name = | image = The Guildhall, Bewdley (geograph 5193844) (cropped).jpg | caption= Bewdley Guildhall | locmapin =Worcestershire | map_caption =Shown in Worcestershire | coordinates ={{coord| 52.3756 |N| 2.3152|W|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline,title}} | location =Load Street, Bewdley | area = | built =1808 | architect = John Simpson | architecture = Neoclassical style | designation1 =Grade II* Listed Building | designation1_offname = The Town Hall | designation1_date =22 April 1950 | designation1_number = 1100788 }} '''Bewdley Guildhall''' is a municipal building in Load Street in Bewdley, Worcestershire, England. The structure, which is the meeting place of Bewdley Town Council, is a Grade II* listed building.<ref name=listed>{{NHLE|desc=The Town Hall|num= 1100788 |access-date=13 May 2022}}</ref>
==History== The first municipal building in the town was an ancient guildhall located to the "southwest of the chapel" i.e. to the southwest of St Anne's Church.{{efn|St Anne's Church was completed in 1748 but there are records showing there was a chapel on the site as early as 1450.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://media.acny.uk/media/venues/page/attachment/2019/05/St_Annes_brief_history.pdf |title= St Anne's Parish Church - a short history|publisher=A Church Near You| access-date=13 May 2022}}</ref>}}<ref name=burton>{{cite book|url=https://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/john-richard-burton/a-history-of-bewdley-with-concise-accounts-of-some-neighbouring-parishes-tru/page-12-a-history-of-bewdley-with-concise-accounts-of-some-neighbouring-parishes-tru.shtml |title= A history of Bewdley; with concise accounts of some neighbouring parishes Appendix 35|first= John Richard |last=Burton|year=1883|publisher=W. Reeves|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141121192329/https://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/john-richard-burton/a-history-of-bewdley-with-concise-accounts-of-some-neighbouring-parishes-tru/page-12-a-history-of-bewdley-with-concise-accounts-of-some-neighbouring-parishes-tru.shtml|archive-date= 21 November 2014}}</ref> It was in the old guildhall that rioters broke into the building to prevent the appointment of the bailiff in 1708.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZIo1AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA114 |title= Modern Reports |volume=11 |year=1796|publisher= G. G. J. and J. Robinson|page=114}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=k1ktAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA173 |title= The New Hampshire Reports |volume=15|page=173|year=1851|publisher= Capital Offset Company }}</ref> By the early 19th century, the ancient guildhall was in a dilapidated state and the borough council ordered its demolition.<ref name=burton/>
The borough council went on to commission a new guildhall: the site they chose had been occupied by the house of a local grocer, Thomas Wootton, who also owned a series of storerooms behind his house.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hugofox.com/shared/attachments.asp?f=7dd3bd44%2D2000%2D4498%2Dbc79%2D196cf313b006%2Epdf&o=Bewdley%27s%2DBlack%2DHistory%2D%2D%2Donline%2Dversion%2Epdf |title=Bewdley's Black History Walking Tour|publisher=Bewdley Anti-Racism Group| access-date=13 May 2022}}</ref> These storerooms were demolished to make way for a butchers' shambles in 1802, shortly before the house was demolished to make way for the new guildhall. The new guildhall was designed by John Simpson of Shrewsbury in the neoclassical style, built in ashlar stone and was completed in 1808.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3sG9568rRJsC&pg=PA144 |title=Worcestershire (Buildings of England Series)|first1=Alan |last1=Brooks|first2=Nikolaus |last2=Pevsner |year= 2007|page=144|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0300112986 }}</ref> The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with three bays facing onto Load Street. The ground floor was rusticated and featured three segmental openings, the central opening being wider than the others; all three featured wrought iron gates, voussoirs and keystones. The first floor was fenestrated with sash windows; on either side of the central window there were pairs of Doric order pilasters and at the corners there were single pilasters, all supporting an entablature, a cornice and a central pediment with a coat of arms in the tympanum. Internally, the principal room was the courtroom on the first floor.<ref name=listed/>
The building was refurbished to a design by Henry Rowe of Worcester in 1866.<ref name=listed/> In the 20th century, offices for council officers and their departments were established at Borough House, further to the northeast along Load Street.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=45046|page=2197|date=20 February 1970}}</ref> The butchers' shambles, just behind the guildhall, was converted for heritage use and was officially opened by Earl Baldwin as the Bewdley Museum in July 1972.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discoverworcestershire.co.uk/listing/bewdley-museum/|title=Bewdley Museum|publisher=Discover Worcestershire| access-date=13 May 2022}}</ref> Princess Alexandra also visited the guildhall that month and unveiled a plaque to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the granting of a charter to the town by King Edward IV.<ref>{{cite sign|title=Sign inside the guildhall commemorating the visit by Princess Alexandra on 13 July 1972}}</ref>
The building continued to serve as the headquarters of Bewdley Borough Council for much of the 20th century but ceased to be the local seat of government when the enlarged Wyre Forest District Council was formed with its offices in Kidderminster in 1974.<ref>{{cite book|title=Local Government Act 1972. 1972 c.70|publisher=The Stationery Office Ltd|isbn=0-10-547072-4|year=1997}}</ref> Instead it became the meeting place of Bewdley Town Council.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://bewdleytowncouncil.org/shared-files/5670/Full-Copy.pdf |title=Annual Meeting|date=4 May 2022|publisher=Bewdley Town Council| access-date=13 May 2022}}</ref> A statue by the sculptor, Martin Jennings, of the locally-born former Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin, was unveiled outside the guildhall by the Duke of Gloucester in September 2018.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.kidderminstershuttle.co.uk/news/16908126.duke-gloucester-unveils-stanley-baldwin-statue-bewdley/ |title=Duke of Gloucester unveils Stanley Baldwin statue in Bewdley |date=27 September 2018|newspaper=Kidderminster Shuttle| access-date=13 May 2022}}</ref> In February 2021, Wyre Forest District Council announced its intention to seek trustees to take over the management of the guildhall, among other local assets, as part of its localisation agenda.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.kidderminstershuttle.co.uk/news/19079748.fears-future-bewdley-museum-council-looks-transfer-assets/ |title= Fears for future of Bewdley Museum as council looks to transfer assets|date=10 February 2021|newspaper=Kidderminster Shuttle| access-date=13 May 2022}}</ref>
==See also== * Grade II* listed buildings in Wyre Forest (district)
==Notes== {{notelist}}
==References== {{reflist}}
Category:Government buildings completed in 1808 Category:City and town halls in Worcestershire Category:Grade II listed buildings in Worcestershire Category:Bewdley