County Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne
{{short description|County building in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox historic site
| name =County Hall
| native_name =
| image =Vermont Hotel, Castle Garth - geograph.org.uk - 1652889.jpg
| caption =
| locmapin =Tyne and Wear
| map_caption =
| coordinates ={{coord|54.96912|N|1.60964|W|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline,title}}
| location =Newcastle upon Tyne
| area =
| built =1910
| architect =J.A. Bain
| architecture =Classical style
| governing_body =
| designation1 =Grade II Listed Building
| designation1_offname =
| designation1_date =30 March 1987
| designation1_number =1024938
}}
County Hall is a former municipal building, now a hotel, in Castle Garth, in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The county hall, which was the headquarters and meeting place of Northumberland County Council from 1910 to 1981, is a Grade II listed building.{{NHLE|num=1024938|desc=County Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne|accessdate=29 April 2018}}
History
In the early 20th century the Moot Hall in Newcastle upon Tyne had been the local facility for dispensing justice and the meeting place of Northumberland County Council.{{cite web|url=https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1902-Northumberland-County-Council-The-Moothall-Newcastle-Upon-Tyne-Letter/174118514913?|year=1902 |title=Letter from Northumberland County Council, The Moothall, Newcastle Upon Tyne|accessdate=18 October 2020}} After deciding that the old Moot Hall was inadequate for their needs, county leaders chose to procure a new county headquarters: the site selected for the new building was within the Moot Hall precincts which formed an exclave of Northumberland County inside the City and County of Newcastle upon Tyne.{{cite web|url=https://www.old-maps.co.uk/#/Map/424987/563911/12/100615|title=Ordnance Survey Map|year=1898|accessdate=18 October 2020}}
The new building was designed by J. A. Bain in the classical style and completed in 1910.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kClO7NOfvsIC&pg=PA114|title=Northumberland|first1=Nikolaus|last1= Pevsner|first2=Ian Archibald |last2=Richmond|first3=John |last3=Grundy|first4=Peter |last4=Ryder|first5=Grace|last5= McCombie|first6=Humphrey|last6= Welfare|publisher=Yale University Press|year=1992|isbn=978-0300096385|page=114}} The design involved an asymmetrical main frontage of thirteen bays facing south east; the central section of five bays featured a porch with Doric order columns supporting a triglyph frieze on the ground floor and sash windows on each of five floors above; the left and right sections of had sections of three bays which slightly projected forwards.
An extension down to the Side and the top storeys were designed by Cackett, Burns Dick and McKellar and completed in 1933.{{cite web|url=https://archiseek.com/2010/1932-northumberland-county-council-offices-newcastle-upon-tyne/|title=1932 – Northumberland County Council Offices, Newcastle upon Tyne|date=20 May 2010 |publisher=Archiseek|accessdate=18 October 2020}} Following the creation of the county of Tyne and Wear in 1974 the County Hall still remained extraterritorial to the county of Northumberland, and in the late 1970s Northumberland County Council decided to re-establish County Hall in Morpeth, to provide them with a meeting place within the actual territorial limits of the Northumberland county; the county council completed the move to Morpeth in April 1981.{{cite web|url=http://www.hexham-courant.co.uk/news/Northumberland-County-Council-to-spend-17m-on-HQ-revamp-e986a131-fc67-45c8-9502-691b9b6d8099-ds|title=Northumberland County Council to spend £17m on HQ revamp|date=25 January 2018|publisher=Hexham Courant|accessdate=29 April 2018}}
The building in Newcastle was converted into a hotel, becoming the "Vermont Hotel" under the management of Lincoln Group in 1993.{{cite web|url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/vermont-hotel-newcastle-sale-9m-1404864|title=Vermont hotel in Newcastle for sale for £9m|date=26 September 2011|publisher=The Chronicle|accessdate=20 April 2018}} Visitors to the hotel at that time included the singer, Engelbert Humperdinck, in 2001.{{cite web|url=https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/7095948.engelbert-met-eric/|title=When Engelbert met Eric|date=13 October 2001|publisher=Northern Echo|accessdate=14 November 2020}} Meanwhile, the film, School for Seduction, starring the actress, Kelly Brook, was filmed in the hotel in 2004.{{Cite web|url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/film-tv/focus-on-top-locations-1659359|title=Focus on top locations|date=18 August 2003|publisher=Chronicle Live|accessdate=14 November 2020}} After Lincoln Group went into administration in January 2012,{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-16566170|title=Hotel firm Lincoln Group Ltd calls in administrator|date=15 January 2012|publisher=BBC|accessdate=14 November 2020}} the hotel changed ownership and was acquired by Gainford Hotels in April 2012.{{cite web|url=https://www.thecaterer.com/articles/343173/vermont-hotel-in-newcastle-sold-off-9m-asking-price|title=Vermont hotel in Newcastle sold off £9m asking price|date=10 April 2012|publisher=The Caterer|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180430045356/https://www.thecaterer.com/articles/343173/vermont-hotel-in-newcastle-sold-off-9m-asking-price|accessdate=20 April 2018|archive-date=2018-04-30}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-17676292|title=Sale of Newcastle's Vermont Hotel secures jobs|publisher=BBC|date=11 April 2012|accessdate=20 April 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/local-news/newcastles-vermont-hotel-marthas-bar-1362902|title=Newcastle's Vermont Hotel and Martha's Bar sold to new owners|date=11 April 2012|publisher=Chronicle Live|accessdate=14 November 2020}} The television presenters, Ant & Dec, visited the hotel for a charity event in May 2015.{{cite web|url=https://www.ilovenewcastle.com/ant-dec-marvel-at-superhero-total/|title=Superheroes from the across the region came out in force on Friday|date=21 May 2015|publisher=I Love Newcastle|accessdate=14 November 2020}}