Worcester Guildhall and Queen Anne

Pevsner describes the Guildhall at Worcester (1721-4) as "splendid as any of the C18 in England". It is a large, imposing building of brick with stone details and may be by the architect Thomas White. Much of the fine detailing is on the upper part of the main facade. Here we see statues of Peace, Justice and Plenty above the large segmental pediment. This is filled with trophies of war that are painted and gilded. Below, framed by giant Corinthian pilasters is a niche with a statue of Queen Anne (formerly free standing). below is a broken-backed triangular pediment, above the main entrance, that features the city's coat of arms. The windows have segmental tops with keystone heads and aprons below. Statues of Queen Anne are not too common in Britain despite a style of architecture being named after her.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

A chimneypiece at Worcester Guildhall

Worcester's Guildhall is a Grade 1 building that dates from 1721. The exterior exhibits many features characteristic of the Queen Anne and early Georgian periods. Moreover, it is still a functioning civic building with rooms of varying sizes including a large and imposing assembly room on the first floor. On a recent visit I was particularly drawn to the two large chimneypieces of the assembly room that are clearly of a later date than the setting. Are they part of the remodelling of 1791 by George Byfield? Clearly not. They probably date from the restoration by Henry Rowe and George Gilbert Scott in 1877-80. The wooden surround is topped by a swan-neck pediment and a shield with the city's coat of arms. Within is marble edging and tiles. The tiles to left and right of the fireplace are pictorial. On the left are poppies and a butterfly with, on the right, irises and a dragonfly. These have an oriental feel more in keeping with a later C19 date. The whole of the chimneypiece may be the work of the sculptor William Forsyth (1833–1915).