Runcorn Town Hall
Encyclopedia
Runcorn Town Hall is in Heath Road, Runcorn
, Cheshire
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II listed building. It was originally built as Halton Grange, a mansion for Thomas Johnson, a local industrialist. After passing through the ownership of two other industrialists, it was purchased in the 1930s by Runcorn Urban District Council and converted into their offices.
, soap and alkali
manufacturers in Runcorn. In 1853–56 a mansion was built for Thomas on the land to a design by Charles Verelst (formerly Reed). The name of the mansion was Halton Grange and its gardens were planned by Edward Kemp
. In the 1860s the Johnson brothers became involved in the American Civil War
by trying to break a naval blockade
at Charleston
but all their ships were sunk, resulting in a considerable loss of money. They eventually became bankrupt
in 1871. In that year Halton Grange and its surrounding farm were sold to Charles Hazlehurst for £10,428 (£ as of ). Charles Hazlehurst was the junior partner in the other soap and alkali business in Runcorn, Hazlehurst & Sons
. Charles died in 1878, leaving Halton Grange to his son, Charles Whiteway Hazlehurst, with a life interest to his wife, Julia, who died in 1903.
In 1904 the house was leased to Francis Boston, the owner of a tannery
in Runcorn, who bought it in 1909 for £5,000 (£ as of ). Francis Boston died in 1929 and the house and grounds were put up for auction. In 1931 Frederick Clare and Latham Ryder, local builders, bought part of the grounds for £1,975 (£ as of ). In 1932 Runcorn Urban District Council bought the house and the remainder of the grounds, a total of 11+3/4 acre, for £2,250 (£ as of ). The following year the building was converted into the offices of the Runcorn Urban District Council. In 1964–65 an office block was built adjacent to the house and the house was adapted to become the civic suite.
and the roof is of slate
. The building is in two storeys in the style of an Italianate
villa
, with a belvedere
rising to four storeys. The authors of the Buildings of England
series suggest it has similarities with Osborne House
. The building has three bays on each front. The entrance front has a Tuscan
portico
with an open balustrade
above it. The bay between the portico and the tower has a triple round-headed window with another balustrade above it. All corners have rusticated
quoins
. The upper level of the tower has triple openings which are flanked by pilaster
s on all faces. The ground floor windows are double casements
and those above are sash window
s.
floor, probably by Minton, in the centre of which is the figure of a young girl's head, possibly the daughter of Thomas Johnson. The mayor's parlour has an unusual feature, a window above the fireplace. This is concealed by a mirror which can be slid sideways. The chimney for the fireplace is built into the wall to the right of the window. The staircase is geometrical with cast iron
balusters, over which is a large window glazed in a Venetian style. The stained glass in this window depicts Runcorn's coat of arms
. On the walls overlooking the staircase are two large paintings by Andrea Casali
depicting the Continence of Scipio
and Sophonisba
taking Poison. These paintings were commissioned in about 1743 by Richard Child, 1st Earl Tylney for Wanstead House
. The frames were designed by William Kent
. In 1822 the paintings were sold, and by 1825 they were hanging in the entrance hall of Eaton Hall
. It is likely that they were purchased by Thomas Johnson around the time that the house was built. Elsewhere in the building are other paintings, many of which show Runcorn in former times.
forms a public park. The adjacent office block was reclad and refurbished in 2007. In 2008 a garden was established to the north of the town hall by the town of Tongling
in China; it includes a traditional Chinese sculpture depicting acrobats.
Runcorn
Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port within the borough of Halton in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. In 2009, its population was estimated to be 61,500. The town is on the southern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form Runcorn Gap. Directly to the north...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade II listed building. It was originally built as Halton Grange, a mansion for Thomas Johnson, a local industrialist. After passing through the ownership of two other industrialists, it was purchased in the 1930s by Runcorn Urban District Council and converted into their offices.
History
In January 1854 the land on which the building stands was bought by Thomas Johnson from Francis Selkeld for £4,280 (£ as of ). Thomas was the younger brother in the partnership of John & Thomas JohnsonJohn & Thomas Johnson
John & Thomas Johnson was a soap and alkali manufacturing business in Runcorn, Cheshire, England during the 19th century.John and Thomas Johnson were brothers after whom the business was named. Their father, also named John Johnson, had established a soapery on the south bank of the Bridgewater...
, soap and alkali
Alkali
In chemistry, an alkali is a basic, ionic salt of an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal element. Some authors also define an alkali as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of a soluble base has a pH greater than 7. The adjective alkaline is commonly used in English as a synonym for base,...
manufacturers in Runcorn. In 1853–56 a mansion was built for Thomas on the land to a design by Charles Verelst (formerly Reed). The name of the mansion was Halton Grange and its gardens were planned by Edward Kemp
Edward Kemp
Edward Kemp was an English landscape architect and an author. Together with Joseph Paxton and Edward Milner, Kemp became one of the leaders in the design of parks and gardens during the mid-Victorian era in England....
. In the 1860s the Johnson brothers became involved in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
by trying to break a naval blockade
Blockade
A blockade is an effort to cut off food, supplies, war material or communications from a particular area by force, either in part or totally. A blockade should not be confused with an embargo or sanctions, which are legal barriers to trade, and is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually...
at Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
but all their ships were sunk, resulting in a considerable loss of money. They eventually became bankrupt
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
in 1871. In that year Halton Grange and its surrounding farm were sold to Charles Hazlehurst for £10,428 (£ as of ). Charles Hazlehurst was the junior partner in the other soap and alkali business in Runcorn, Hazlehurst & Sons
Hazlehurst & Sons
Hazlehurst & Sons was a company making soap and alkali in Runcorn, Cheshire, England in the 19th century and in the early years of the 20th century...
. Charles died in 1878, leaving Halton Grange to his son, Charles Whiteway Hazlehurst, with a life interest to his wife, Julia, who died in 1903.
In 1904 the house was leased to Francis Boston, the owner of a tannery
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
in Runcorn, who bought it in 1909 for £5,000 (£ as of ). Francis Boston died in 1929 and the house and grounds were put up for auction. In 1931 Frederick Clare and Latham Ryder, local builders, bought part of the grounds for £1,975 (£ as of ). In 1932 Runcorn Urban District Council bought the house and the remainder of the grounds, a total of 11+3/4 acre, for £2,250 (£ as of ). The following year the building was converted into the offices of the Runcorn Urban District Council. In 1964–65 an office block was built adjacent to the house and the house was adapted to become the civic suite.
Exterior
The exterior of the building is renderedStucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
and the roof is of slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
. The building is in two storeys in the style of an Italianate
Italianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
villa
Villa
A villa was originally an ancient Roman upper-class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became small farming compounds, which were increasingly fortified in Late Antiquity,...
, with a belvedere
Belvedere (structure)
Belvedere is an architectural term adopted from Italian , which refers to any architectural structure sited to take advantage of such a view. A belvedere may be built in the upper part of a building so as to command a fine view...
rising to four storeys. The authors of the Buildings of England
Pevsner Architectural Guides
The Pevsner Architectural Guides are a series of guide books to the architecture of the British Isles. Begun in the 1940s by art historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, the 46 volumes of the Buildings of England series were published between 1951 and 1975. The series was then extended to Scotland and...
series suggest it has similarities with Osborne House
Osborne House
Osborne House is a former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK. The house was built between 1845 and 1851 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a summer home and rural retreat....
. The building has three bays on each front. The entrance front has a Tuscan
Tuscan order
Among canon of classical orders of classical architecture, the Tuscan order's place is due to the influence of the Italian Sebastiano Serlio, who meticulously described the five orders including a "Tuscan order", "the solidest and least ornate", in his fourth book of Regole generalii di...
portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
with an open balustrade
Baluster
A baluster is a moulded shaft, square or of lathe-turned form, one of various forms of spindle in woodwork, made of stone or wood and sometimes of metal, standing on a unifying footing, and supporting the coping of a parapet or the handrail of a staircase. Multiplied in this way, they form a...
above it. The bay between the portico and the tower has a triple round-headed window with another balustrade above it. All corners have rusticated
Rustication (architecture)
thumb|upright|Two different styles of rustication in the [[Palazzo Medici-Riccardi]] in [[Florence]].In classical architecture rustication is an architectural feature that contrasts in texture with the smoothly finished, squared block masonry surfaces called ashlar...
quoins
Quoin (architecture)
Quoins are the cornerstones of brick or stone walls. Quoins may be either structural or decorative. Architects and builders use quoins to give the impression of strength and firmness to the outline of a building...
. The upper level of the tower has triple openings which are flanked by pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s on all faces. The ground floor windows are double casements
Casement window
A casement window is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges. Casement windows are hinged at the side. A casement window (or casement) is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges. Casement windows are hinged at the side. A casement window (or casement) is a...
and those above are sash window
Sash window
A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels or "sashes" that form a frame to hold panes of glass, which are often separated from other panes by narrow muntins...
s.
Interior
The ground floor includes the mayor's parlour, a members' room and committee rooms. On the upper floor are reception rooms and a kitchen. A more modern council chamber has been added to the rear. The entrance hall has a mosaicMosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
floor, probably by Minton, in the centre of which is the figure of a young girl's head, possibly the daughter of Thomas Johnson. The mayor's parlour has an unusual feature, a window above the fireplace. This is concealed by a mirror which can be slid sideways. The chimney for the fireplace is built into the wall to the right of the window. The staircase is geometrical with cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
balusters, over which is a large window glazed in a Venetian style. The stained glass in this window depicts Runcorn's coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
. On the walls overlooking the staircase are two large paintings by Andrea Casali
Andrea Casali
Andrea Casali was an Italian painter of the Rococo period.He was born at Civitavecchia, and is said to have been a pupil of Sebastiano Conca. He traveled to England in 1741, and stayed there for more than two decades, and where he was a teacher to James Durno. Some sources claim a birthdate of...
depicting the Continence of Scipio
Scipio Africanus
Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus , also known as Scipio Africanus and Scipio the Elder, was a general in the Second Punic War and statesman of the Roman Republic...
and Sophonisba
Sophonisba
Sophonisba was a Carthaginian noblewoman who lived during the Second Punic War, and the daughter of Hasdrubal Gisco Gisgonis...
taking Poison. These paintings were commissioned in about 1743 by Richard Child, 1st Earl Tylney for Wanstead House
Wanstead Park
Wanstead Park is the name of a grade II listed municipal park covering an area of about 140 acres , located in Wanstead, in the London Borough of Redbridge, historically within the county of Essex...
. The frames were designed by William Kent
William Kent
William Kent , born in Bridlington, Yorkshire, was an eminent English architect, landscape architect and furniture designer of the early 18th century.He was baptised as William Cant.-Education:...
. In 1822 the paintings were sold, and by 1825 they were hanging in the entrance hall of Eaton Hall
Eaton Hall (Cheshire)
Eaton Hall is the country house of the Duke of Westminster. It is set within a large estate south of the village of Eccleston, in Cheshire, England . The house is surrounded by formal gardens, parkland, farmland and woodland. The estate covers an area of about .The first substantial house was...
. It is likely that they were purchased by Thomas Johnson around the time that the house was built. Elsewhere in the building are other paintings, many of which show Runcorn in former times.
External features
Most of the area occupied by the gardens laid out by Edward KempEdward Kemp
Edward Kemp was an English landscape architect and an author. Together with Joseph Paxton and Edward Milner, Kemp became one of the leaders in the design of parks and gardens during the mid-Victorian era in England....
forms a public park. The adjacent office block was reclad and refurbished in 2007. In 2008 a garden was established to the north of the town hall by the town of Tongling
Tongling
Tongling is a prefecture-level city in southern Anhui province, People's Republic of China. A river port along the Yangtze River, Tongling borders Chaohu to the north, Wuhu to the east, Chizhou to the southwest and Anqing to the west....
in China; it includes a traditional Chinese sculpture depicting acrobats.