County Offices, Lincoln Explained

County Offices, Lincoln
Map Type:Lincolnshire
Address:Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Location Country:United Kingdom
Map Dot Label:County Offices
Coordinates:53.2313°N -0.5457°W
Completion Date:1932
Architect:Scorer and Gamble
Architectural Style:Neo-Georgian style

The County Offices is a municipal building in Newland, Lincoln in the county of Lincolnshire in England. It is the headquarters of Lincolnshire County Council.

History

In the late 19th century and early 20th century meetings of Lindsey County Council were held at County Hall, Lincoln Castle.[1] After deciding the old county hall was inadequate for their needs, county leaders chose to procure a new county headquarters: the site selected they selected was the substantial grounds of a house known as Newland House which had been designed by William Hayward in the classical style and completed in 1824. Council officials purchased the estate from the executors of the local coal merchant, William John Warrener.[2]

Construction started with the demolition of everything except the original facade of Newland House in 1926.[3] The new building was designed by Scorer and Gamble in a Neo-Georgian style and was officially opened by the chairman of the county council, George Edward Heneage, 2nd Baron Heneage, in 1932.[2] [4] [5]

The new structure was built around two quadrangles. The first phase was the northern facade and quadrangle (which incorporated the original facade of Newland House) and the second phase was the southern facade and quadrangle which was built with red brick and innovative concrete dressings.[6] The third phase involved inserting an Art Deco staircase into Newland House.[7]

The design for the main building involved a symmetrical main frontage with fifteen bays facing onto Newland with the end bays slighted projected forwards; the central section featured a portico with paired Doric Order columns and balustraded parapet; there were sash windows on the first and second floors with a stone surround which extended to both floors. Internally, the principal room was the council chamber.[8] Pevsner described the building as "all somewhat dry and academic".[6]

Following the implementation of the Local Government Act 1972,[9] the building became the headquarters of the newly created Lincolnshire County Council in 1974.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Lindsey County Council. Sheffield Daily Telegraph Yorkshire, England. 29 July 1905. 2 October 2019.
  2. Web site: Newland House. Pearl. Wheatley. Lincolnshire Past and Present Issue 92 Summer 2013. 13. Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology. 17 October 2020.
  3. Web site: Lincoln Townscape Assessment: Orchard Street Inherited Character Area Statement. City of Lincoln. 17 October 2020.
  4. Web site: The early history of Lincolnshire County Council Offices, Newland, Lincoln. Lincolnshire Past and Present Issue 108 Summer 2017. Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology. 14 November 2020.
  5. Book: Walford, Edward . The county families of the United Kingdom; or Royal Manual of the Titled and Untitled Aristocracy of Great Britain and Ireland. Forgotten Books. 2018. 978-0265821886.
  6. Book: The Buildings of England: Lincolnshire. Antram. N.. Pevsner. N.. Harris. J.. 1989. Penguin Books; reissued by Yale University Press. 504. 0300096208.
  7. Lincoln City Building applications. 6219, 8 February 1926; 6863 18 November 1930, 7136, 21 August 1933
  8. Web site: Grantham people can question county council leaders on their budget. 14 December 2015. Grantham Journal. 17 October 2020.
  9. Book: Local Government Act 1972. 1972 c.70. The Stationery Office Ltd. 0-10-547072-4. 1997.