Shire Hall, Durham
{{short description|County building in Durham, County Durham, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox historic site
| name = Shire Hall, Durham
| image = Indigo Hotel (Shire Hall), Durham, December 2020.jpg
| image_size = 250
| caption =
| locmapin = County Durham
| map_relief =
| coordinates = {{coord|54.7749|-1.5703|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline,title}}
| gbgridref =
| location = Elvet, Durham, County Durham
| built = 1898
| website = [https://durham.hotelindigo.com/ Hotel Indigo Durham]
| architect = Harry Barnes and Frederick Coates
| architecture =Baroque Revival
| owner = Hotel Indigo
| designation1 = Grade II
| designation1_offname = Old Shire Hall (University Office)
| designation1_date = 10 March 1988
| designation1_number = 1310562
}}
The Old Shire Hall, also known as the Hotel Indigo Durham, is a Grade II listed building in Old Elvet, Durham.{{NHLE|desc=Old Shire Hall (University Office), Old Elvet|num=1310562|accessdate=20 September 2019}} The former municipal building was the headquarters of Durham County Council from 1898 to 1963 and has been a hotel since 2018.
History
In the 18th century the justices held the assizes in the Shire Hall (also known as the County House) beside Palace Green; they then moved to a new courthouse at the head of Old Elvet in 1811.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h2mIAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT102|title=Durham Cathedral City from Old Photographs|first=Michael |last=Richardson|publisher=Amberley Publishing|year=2010|isbn=978-1848685062}} Following the implementation of the Local Government Act 1888, which established county councils in every county, it became necessary to find a meeting place for Durham County Council.{{cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/51-52/41/enacted|title=Local Government Act 1888|publisher=Legislation.gov.uk|accessdate=17 August 2019}} County leaders decided that the courthouse was not suitable for the purpose and chose to procure county council offices nearby: the site they selected in Old Elvet had previously been occupied by a row of large residential properties.{{cite web|url=https://www.old-maps.co.uk/#/Map/427638/542316/13/100218|title=Ordnance Survey Map|year=1961|accessdate=12 October 2020}}
The foundation stone for the new building was laid by the Lord Lieutenant of Durham, the Earl of Durham in April 1896.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I1e-DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT121|title=Durham City in 50 Buildings|first=Derek |last=Dodds|publisher=Amberley Publishing|year=2019|isbn= 978-1445687568}} It was designed by Harry Barnes and Frederick Coates in the Baroque Revival style, built by David and John Rankin at a cost of £14,000 and was officially opened by Alderman Samuel Storey on 26 July 1898.{{cite web|title='The city of Durham: Introduction (1 of 3)', in A History of the County of Durham|volume=3|first=William |last=Page|location=London|year=1928|pages= 1–15|publisher=British History Online |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/durham/vol3/pp1-15 |accessdate= 12 October 2020}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gvSiDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT151|title=Lost Durham|first= Michael |last=Richardson|year=2019|publisher=Amberley Publishing|isbn=978-1445691312}} The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with nine bays in red terracotta facing onto Old Elvet with the end bays slightly projected forwards; the central section, which also slightly projected forwards, featured an arched doorway on the ground floor with a wrought-iron grill; there was a pair of round headed windows on the first floor and a tower with a copper-clad dome at roof level. Internally, the principal room was the council chamber.
A new wing, banded in stone and brick, which added an extra three bays to the east of the main building, was completed in 1905.{{Cite book|last=Pevsner|first=Nikolaus|title=The Buildings of England: County Durham|publisher=Penguin|year=1953|isbn=|location=London|pages=123, 128}} A memorial to county council staff who had died in the First and Second World Wars was unveiled by the Chairman of the County Council, Councillor Thomas Benfold, on 10 November 1948.{{cite web|url=http://www.newmp.org.uk/detail.php?contentId=7049|title=Plaque 1914-1918; 1939-1945|publisher=North East War Memorials|accessdate= 12 October 2020}}
Nikolaus Pevsner did not take a favourable view of the building in his 1953 Buildings of England volume, where he described the building as a "deplorable" building "with monumental intentions and disastrous effects" whose "cursedly imperishable red Victorian brick... is such crushing proof of technical proficiency and aesthetic dumbness".
After the County Council moved to County Hall at Aykley Heads in October 1963,{{cite web|url=https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/4536266.durham-county-hall-proposed-for-listed-building-protection/|title=Durham County Hall proposed for listed building protection|date=8 August 2009|publisher=Northern Echo|accessdate=20 September 2019}} the Shire Hall served as the administrative headquarters of Durham University until September 2012 when the University moved to the Mountjoy site, in the Palatine Centre on Stockton Road.{{cite news|title=Former university HQ 'to become hotel within months'|url=http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/10065509.Former_Durham_University_HQ__to_become_hotel_within_months_/|publisher=The Northern Echo|date=22 November 2012|accessdate=14 November 2020}} The Shire Hall then stood vacant until it was converted for use as a hotel by Brims of Sunderland to the plans of HL Architects: it re-opened as the Hotel Indigo in March 2018.{{cite web|url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/business/business-news/historic-building-durham-turned-luxury-14440551|title=Historic building in Durham turned into luxury hotel|publisher=Chronicle Live|date=21 March 2018|accessdate=20 September 2019}}
References
{{commonscat|Old Shire Hall, Durham, England}}
{{reflist}}
Category:Grade II listed buildings in County Durham
Category:Government buildings completed in 1898
Category:Baroque Revival architecture
Category:1898 establishments in England
Category:Hotels established in 2018
Category:2018 establishments in England