A county hall or shire hall is usual name given to a building housing a county's administration. The location of the county hall has usually denoted the county town, and as county halls have moved it has also been considered that the county town has moved, for example when Derbyshire County Council moved from Derby to Matlock in the 1950s. As important government buildings, many county halls are known for their distinctive architecture. Some county halls are historic buildings at the heart of the town, whilst others are more modern office building in suburban locations. Many buildings which have lost their administrative function have retained the name county hall for historic reasons, such as County Hall, London.
County Halls usually contain a council chamber, committee rooms and offices. Many have also been home to court rooms, however in recent years many have moved to separate buildings.
County Halls in Great Britain and Ireland include:
- County Hall, Abingdon
- County Hall, Aylesbury
- County Hall, Cardiff
- County Hall, Hertford
- County Hall, London
- County Hall, Wakefield
- County Hall (Surrey)
- Shire Hall, Monmouth
- Shire Hall, Newport
- Cork County Hall
Famous quotes containing the words county and/or hall:
“I could draw Bloom County with my nose and pay my cleaning lady to write it, and I’d bet I wouldn’t lose 10% of my papers over the next twenty years. Such is the nature of comic-strips. Once established, their half-life is usually more than nuclear waste.”
—Berkeley Breathed (b. 1957)
“Generation on generation, your neck rubbed the windowsill
of the stall, smoothing the wood as the sea smooths glass.”
—Donald Hall (b. 1928)