875

 

II  

Designated  

04/12/1973  

12/07/2006  

Town Hall & Market Hall  

 

Denbighshire  

Ruthin  

Ruthin  

 

312455  

358294  

 

Located in a prominent position on the SW corner of Market Street and Wynnstay Road. The ground slopes down steeply from W to E.  

Civil  

 

Civic buildings by Poundley and Walker, 1863-5, with carved sandstone detail by Edward Griffith of Chester. There was formerly a Fire Station with 2 vehicular doorways at the W end of the complex, these now converted to offices of the Citizens Advice Bureau. These buildings replace an earlier, C17 town hall on the site.  

Town Hall and Market Hall in High Victorian Gothic style. The Town Hall consists of a tall 2-storey 3-window block fronting Market Street, with a slightly advanced 3-stage tower to the R; 1-window return to Wynnstay Road, L of which is a plainer block of 2 storeys with basement. Constructed of coursed rock-faced stone under hipped slate roofs with richly embellished eaves corbelling. Limestone ashlar detail, including ground floor arcading, banding, window dressings and cornices. The arcade ihas 4-bays to Market Street and 1-bay to Wynnstay Road, the pointed arches of light and dark grey stone springing from ornate foliate capitals. Sandstone ashlar inside arches, including carved tympana by Edward Griffith. Entrance to R, into ground floor of tower, with attached shafts bearing foliate capitals: double panelled doors under a shallow segmental head with dog-tooth frieze, the tympanum bearing a roundel with castle in relief; the doors are reached by 4 stone steps. Arcade continues to L with 2-light windows, each light with a battered sill, shallow segmental head and horizontal glazing bars; the central tympanum bears a roundel with harvesting scene in relief, the flanking tympana with recessed roundels with pierced decoration. Moulded sill band to upper storey windows, tall lights under pointed arches with continuous impost band; limestone tympana decorated with roundels and rosettes. Paired lights to centre of Market Street elevation, divided by a colonette with foliate capital, each light with a trefoiled head, all under a higher arch with rosette. Similar single-light to 1st floor of tower, in front of which is a small sandstone balcony on decorative brackets, with iron railings with scrollwork. Top stage of tower has 2-light pointed-arched louvres to N and W sides, the lights divided by a central colonette with foliate capital; triangular heads over louvres, each tympanum with a recessed roundel, probably for a clock; S side has a plain roundel. Tower has steep Mansard roof, with lucarne to each side under a half-hipped gablet; 2 decorative iron finials to apex. Return to Wynnstay Road has 1-bay arcade to ground floor, and a pair of lights to 1st floor. Single-storey Market Hall is of coursed rock-faced stone under a slate roof, with raised ridge ventilator and bracketed eaves; limestone banding and dressings to openings. To far L, small doorway to an office with half-glazed panelled door with chamfered red sandstone lintel, reached by a late C20 ramp of snecked red sandstone. To each end of Market Hall, under pronounced crow-stepped gables, are very tall doorways with canted heads, containing double panelled doors infilled with boarding and decorative ironwork. Two windows between doorways, both 2-light with shouldered heads under a trefoiled ashlar panel with roundel beneath apex. Former Fire Station at R end is continuous, but with slightly lower eaves. It has a pair of large segmental-arched openings of red sandstone, which were for vehicles. These are now infilled with glazing. To Wynnstay Road, L of the Town Hall, is an adjoining block of 2 storeys with basement, the front of rock-faced limestone under a hipped slate roof, the S end and rear of brick. Front has narrow rectangular 2-over-4-pane sashes, the ground floor 8-window, the 1st floor 4-window. Basement has central boarded door with overlight, shallow segmental-arched sash to L, and a window and small door to R. South end has a truncated brick stack, and narrow infilled windows flanking a tall block of c2000. The rear is adjoined by a 2-storey wing at right-angles, of brick under a hipped slate roof, the windows small-pane wooden casements or 4-pane sashes. Rear of Market Hall is of brick with a line of 4 port-hole windows; plain wooden door to R.  

Market Hall has a 6-bay open-roof with jointed arched-brace trusses; iron tie-beams; flagstone floor; brick end walls, including blocked opening to W end. Interior of town hall not seen.  

Listed for its architectural interest as a fine civic building in High Victorian Gothic-style.