{{Short description|Municipal building in Saltash, Cornwall, England}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Use British English|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox historic site | name =Saltash Guildhall | native_name = | image = Saltash Guildhall - geograph.org.uk - 59312.jpg | caption = Saltash Guildhall | locmapin =Cornwall | map_caption =Shown in Cornwall | coordinates ={{coord|50.4084|N| 4.2093|W|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline,title}} | location =Fore Street, Saltash, Cornwall, England | area = | built =1780 | architect = | architecture =Neoclassical style | designation1 =Grade II Listed Building | designation1_offname = The Guildhall | designation1_date =17 January 1952 | designation1_number ={{listed building England|1140371}} | website= }} '''Saltash Guildhall''' is a municipal building in Fore Street, Saltash, Cornwall, England. The structure, which was the meeting place of Saltash Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.<ref name=listed>{{NHLE|desc= The Guildhall|num=1140371|access-date=5 August 2021}}</ref>
==History== The first municipal building in Saltash was a small medieval guildhall with a bell turret on the north west corner of Alexandra Square.<ref name=shh>{{cite web|url=https://saltash.org/saltash-history/saltash-guildhall.html |title= Saltash Guildhall|publisher= Saltash History and Heritage|access-date=5 August 2021}}</ref> A lock up for petty criminals was established behind the first building in 1818.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.prisonhistory.org/prison/saltash-town-gaol/ |title= Saltash Town Gaol|publisher=Prison History| access-date=5 August 2021}}</ref> After becoming dilapidated in the mid 19th century, it was ultimately demolished in 1894.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://kresenkernow.org/SOAP/detail/bdf21d43-e80a-467e-ba92-96bfa6401a90/ |title= Elevation of granite bell turret to old Saltash Guildhall|publisher= Kresen Kernow |year=1966| access-date=5 August 2021}}</ref>
The second municipal building was a 16th century market house located about {{convert|50|yards}} to the east of the original building.<ref name=shh/> It was reconstructed in the neoclassical style in brick and masonry between 1775 and 1780.<ref name=shh/> The market house was originally arcaded on the ground floor, so that markets could be held, with an assembly hall, known as the Long Room, on the first floor.<ref name=shh/> A series of Doric order columns supported the first floor structure.<ref name=shh/> Saltash had a very small electorate and a dominant patron (the Buller family), which meant it was recognised by the UK Parliament as a rotten borough: the right of the borough to elect members of parliament was removed by the Reform Act 1832.<ref>{{cite web |title=The History of Politics: The Rotten Boroughs of England |url=https://juliaherdman.com/2017/04/21/history-of-politics-the-rotten-boroughs-of-england/ |website=Julia Herdman Books |accessdate=21 October 2019 |date=21 April 2017}}</ref> In 1841, borough officials decided to relocate from the original guildhall to the Long Room in the market house which then became the new headquarters of the borough.<ref name=shh/> The borough council, which continued to meet in the new guildhall, was reformed under the Municipal Corporations Act 1883.<ref>{{cite book |title=Municipal Corporations Act 1883 (46 & 46 Vict. Ch. 18) |date=1883 |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1883/18/pdfs/ukpga_18830018_en.pdf |access-date=21 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10135886|title=Saltash MB|publisher=Vision of Britain|access-date=5 August 2021}}</ref>
The west end of the ground floor was enclosed to create a soup kitchen in 1888, the east end of the ground floor was partitioned off to create a fire station in 1903, and the central section was enclosed in 1910.<ref name=shh/> The design at that time involved an asymmetrical main frontage facing onto Fore Street; on the ground floor, there was a round headed doorway with a canopy in the third bay from the right and round headed sash windows in most of the other bays.<ref name=listed/> Meanwhile, on the first floor there were five round headed sash windows.<ref name=listed/> At the west end, on the ground floor, there was another round headed doorway with a canopy, on the first floor there were two round headed sash windows and, at roof level, there was a central panel containing the borough coat of arms surmounted by a small pediment with a carving in the tympanum.<ref name=listed/> Internally, the principal room was the council chamber.<ref name=tc>{{cite web|url= https://www.saltash.gov.uk/facilitiesforhire.php |title=Facilities for hire|publisher=Saltash Town Council| access-date=5 August 2021}}</ref>
The doctor and suffragette, Mabel L. Ramsay, gave a speech to an audience in the guildhall in September 1910 explaining how infant mortality was significantly better in countries such as New Zealand where woman already had voting rights.<ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=lXt6DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT251 |title= Hidden Heroines: The Forgotten Suffragettes | page=34|first1=Maggie |last1=Andrews |first2= Janis|last2= Lomas |publisher=The Crowood Press|year=2018|isbn= 978-0719827617 }}</ref> A major programme of refurbishment works, which involved the renovation of the north wall and the roof, was completed in 1925.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Beacham|first1=Peter|last2= Pevsner|first2=Nikolaus |year=2014|title=Cornwall (The Buildings of England) |location=New Haven|publisher=Yale University Press|page=610|isbn=978-0300126686}}</ref>
The guildhall continued to serve as the headquarters of the borough council for much of the 20th century<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=45730|page=8690|date=20 July 1972}}</ref> but ceased to be the local seat of government after the enlarged Caradon District Council was formed 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> The guildhall subsequently accommodated the offices and meeting place of Saltash Town Council as well as the local tourist information office.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/cornwall/content/image_galleries/history_saltash_gallery.shtml?4 |title= Saltash Walk Gallery |publisher=BBC| access-date=5 August 2021}}</ref> With financial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund, further restoration work was carried out in 1998.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/our-work/guildhall-saltash-restoration |title=Guildhall, Saltash - Restoration|publisher=Heritage Lottery Fund |access-date=5 August 2021}}</ref> The Duchess of Gloucester inaugurated the Saltash Blue Plaque Trail at the guildhall in September 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.royal.uk/court-circular?text=&mrf=&id=&date%5Bmin%5D%5Bdate%5D=5/05/2016&date%5Bmax%5D%5Bdate%5D=05/05/2017&page=86|title=Kensington Palace|date=8 September 2016|publisher=The Royal Family| access-date=5 August 2021}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}} {{portalbar|Cornwall}} Category:Government buildings completed in 1780 Category:City and town halls in Cornwall Category:Grade II listed buildings in Cornwall Category:Grade II listed government buildings