This information is taken from the statutory List as it was in 2001 and may not be up to date.
SU 4997 ABINGDON MARKET PLACE
583/1/180 County Hall (Market House) 19.01.1951
GV I
1678-1683. Ashlar. By Christopher Kempster, one of Wren's masons.
Woodwork by Avery Hobbs. Two storeys, cellars and attics, with a square staircase tower on the south side. Four bays by two, faced with fine ashlar, Burford stone to impost level of ground floor, mostly Headington stone above. The Hall stands on a stylobate of three steps. Open arcaded Market Hall on ground floor, Sessions Hall on the first floor lighted by arched window in each bay. Giant pilasters of two storeys support entablature and wooden eaves cornice of lead roof. Roof has pedimented dormer window above each bay and a baluwtraded flat frond which rises a cupola with a weathervane. The grand order, the pilasters of the ground floor arcade, and the tower square a plinths with a simple cavetto. The order has pedestals, moulded bases, pilasters without entasis or fluting, and composite capitals. Its entablature has a plain frieze and carries the modillions of the wooden eaves cornice of roof, renewed in 1896.
The proportion of this order differ very slightly from the first design, since the decayed stone was cut away in the restoration work before 1852.
Each bay of tile grand order embraces one arch of the Market Hall arcade.
The Keystones of the round arches bear sculptured masks with symbolical headdressed. In their present form these date from 1853. The arcades spring from plain pilasters with moulded imposts. Round headed windows on first floor, moulded architraves, scrolled keystone with acanthus.
box stone used in the 1853 restoration. Also repaired in 1952. The County Hall was tile scene of many great election struggles. A.M.
Drawings in Details 1, 69-71 and Architectural Review XIII (1903), 16 and VCH: Berks IV, 433.
The County Hall with Nos. 5 to 9 (consec) Market Place form a group
Listing NGR: SU4978997051
This is part of the Series: IOE01/0928 IOE Records taken by M J F Harrison; within the Collection: IOE01 Images Of England
© Mr M.J.F. Harrison. Source: Historic England Archive
This photograph was taken for the Images of England project
Photographer: Harrison, M.J.F.
Rights Holder: Harrison, M.J.F.
Ashlar, Stone, Stuart Weather Vane, Unassigned, County Hall, Civil, Local Government Office, Government Office, Market House, Public Building, Commercial, Market, Market Hall
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