Shire Hall History

Origins and The Elizabethan Hall

The present Shire Hall is at least the third building of its kind in Stafford. Its history dates back to Norman times. As the most important official building in the town in the Middle Ages, the Shire Hall was home to the county court, to the county's Justices of the Peace, and to judges on tour from Westminster.

The town went through periods of prosperity and decline, but at one stage in the 16th century its poor economic situation was attributed to the fact that the judges had moved away to Wolverhampton. This was what Queen Elizabeth I was told when she came here in 1575. The Queen intervened and four years later the judges returned. Ever since, Stafford has remained an important centre for the administration of justice in Staffordshire.

The interior of the Shire Hall Gallery

The Present Hall

In 1790, the Elizabethan hall was reported to be in bad repair, and in 1793 the justices finally decided to build a replacement, designed by architect John Harvey. A site was chosen immediately behind the old Shire Hall, so that once work had been completed and the redundant building demolished, the new one would face onto the large square.

Inside the most striking feature is the Great Hall, an entrance hall 72 feet long, 32 feet wide and 39 feet high. There are galleries on three sides, each with balconies and columns leading to the richly decorated ceiling. Beyond the Great Hall are two courtrooms, one for High Court judges and the other for the county's Justices of the Peace.

In the judges' court there is a marble bust of Sir Thomas Noon Talfourd, a judge of the Court of Common Pleas, who collapsed and died while addressing the Grand Jury in March 1854.

The Shire Hall was retained for use by the judges of the Stafford Crown Court until 1991, when a new court building in Victoria Square was opened.

Court Number One at the Shire Hall Gallery

The Law in Action

Behind the elegant façade of the Shire Hall, the sordid and pathetic details of human failings have been heard in countless trials. Murder always attracts public attention, and among the most celebrated trials heard at Stafford was that of the murderer of Christina Collins, killed in 1839 by the side of the Trent and Mersey canal at Rugeley, and the inspiration for Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse novel 'The wench is Dead'. Executions took place at the County Gaol.

Not all convicted murderers were executed: Richard Harvey, found not guilty of manslaughter in 1842, escaped with a mere six weeks' imprisonment because his victim had been his opponent in a well-matched and fairly-conducted prize-fight. Leniency was also extended to the organisers of a trade union of female button makers, established in 1834 near Flash in the north of the county. Despite being tried by John Williams, the same judge who earlier in the year had sentenced the Tolpuddle Martyrs to transportation, the Staffordshire union leaders were merely lectured and then released.

Click here to see a plan of Court Room One at the Shire Hall Gallery

Click here to see a plan of Stafford Gaol

Click here to read about life inside Stafford Gaol

There are Draw, Paint and Colour Children's Activity sheets for the Shire Hall Courtroom.

There are Make and Do Children's Activity Sheets for the Shire Hall Courtroom.

 

The Seat of Local Government

Beside their judicial role, Justices of the Peace also became the main agents for local government in the county. They dealt with a wide range of matters, including the care of the highways and bridges, regulation of working conditions, supervision of the Poor Law system, and licensing of ale houses and non-Anglican places of worship. The justices retained most of these powers until the establishment of County Councils in 1889. Until this date, the Shire Hall was in effect the headquarters of local government in the county.

The Reordering of 1992

Exhibition space at the Shire Hall Gallery

After the Shire Hall was vacated by the Crown Court in 1991, care of the building reverted to Staffordshire County Council. The Council decided to restore the fabric and to reorder the hall internally. Work started in 1992 and was completed the following year.

Restoration of the building was undertaken by the County Council's Property Services Department with partial funding from English Heritage. In an adventurous scheme, the historic part of the Shire Hall was developed for use as an art gallery.

The new Shire Hall Gallery has now become an important visual arts centre for the county. The Great Hall is used to show exhibitions of fine art, craft and photography across the whole spectrum of creative work produced by contemporary artists from many different cultures.

The Shire Hall has a long and fascinating history. If you want to know more about how it functions today, information on services available at the Shire Hall Gallery (including how to hire the building for special events) is available on request.

Last Modified: 17/07/2008 10:28:33
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