The Market House, also known as Uxbridge Town Hall, is a commercial building in the High Street in Uxbridge, a suburb of London, England. The building, which is currently in commercial use, is a Grade II* listed building.[1]
| Uxbridge Market House | |
|---|---|
 The building in 2017 | |
| Location | High Street, Uxbridge |
| Coordinates | 51°32′46″N 0°28′46″W / 51.5460°N 0.4794°W |
| Built | 1788 |
| Architectural style(s) | Neoclassical style |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | The Market House |
| Designated | 8 May 1950 |
| Reference no. | 1080208 |
  Shown in the London Borough of Hillingdon | |
History
editThe building was commissioned to replace an earlier market house which was completed in 1561,[2][3] and demolished for the purpose of widening the High Street in 1785.[4]
The new building was designed in the neoclassical style, built in red brick and was completed in 1788. The building was open on the ground floor, so that markets could be held, with an assembly room on the first floor. The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of 11 bays facing onto the high street. The first floor were supported by around 50 Doric order columns. The central section of three bays, which was taller than the other sections, was fenestrated by three tall round headed windows with balustrades on the first floor, and by three square windows at attic level, all surmounted by a pediment with an oculus in the tympanum. The wings of four bays each were fenestrated by sash windows. At roof level, there was a single-stage hexagonal tower with clock faces surmounted by a cupola.[5] Internally, the principal area was the market hall on the ground floor, which was 140 feet (43 m) long and 49 feet (15 m) wide.[6]
In the 19th century, the first floor accommodated a local school,[7] while the ground floor was used as a corn exchange.[8] However, the use of the building as a corn exchange declined significantly in the wake of the Great Depression of British Agriculture in the late 19th century.[9] Following the formation of Uxbridge Urban District Council in 1894,[10] the new council met on the first floor of the market house, which then became known as "Uxbridge Town Hall".[11][12]
The building continued to serve as the local seat of government until the council acquired a house called Southfields at 265 High Street in 1927 and converted it to be its offices and meeting place.[13][14] Meanwhile, the market house was converted for commercial use and, in the mid-20th century, the ground floor was enclosed in glass.[15] The glazing was removed later in the century and replaced by a series of retail stalls which were recessed from the cartilage of the building.[16]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Historic England. "The Market House (1080208)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ Pearce, Ken (2011). Uxbridge Through Time. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1445631868.
- ^ "Uxbridge Market House". Art UK. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ "Uxbridge Market House". National Archives. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ "Market House, High Street, Uxbridge, Greater London". Historic England. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ M'Culloch, John Ramsay (1866). A dictionary, geographical, statistical, and historical, of the various countries, places, and principal natural objects in the world. Longmans, Green & Co. p. 396.
- ^ Rees, Abraham (1805). The Cyclopaedia or, Universal Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Literature. Vol. 39. p. 470.
- ^ Brayley, Edward Wedlake; Brewer, James Norris; Nightingale, Joseph (1816). London and Middlesex or, An Historical, Commercial, & Descriptive Survey of the Metropolis of Great-Britain: Including Sketches of Its Environs, and a Topographical Account of the Most Remarkable Places in the Above County. Vol. 4. W. Wilson. p. 537.
- ^ Fletcher, T. W. (1973). 'The Great Depression of English Agriculture 1873-1896' in British Agriculture 1875-1914. London: Methuen. p. 31. ISBN 978-1136581182.
- ^ "Uxbridge MB/UD". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ "Uxbridge Town Hall, Uxbridge". National Archives. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ "Crowds massed on the steps of Uxbridge Town Hall to hear the proclamation of King George V". Media Storehouse. 1910. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ "Uxbridge and District News: History in the making". Middlesex Advertiser and County Gazette. Uxbridge. 15 April 1927. p. 9. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ "Uxbridge Council Offices in Uxbridge High Street". London Picture Archive. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ "Market House in Uxbridge High Street". London Picture Archive. 1984. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ "Unit A, Market House" (PDF). Rose Williams. Retrieved 20 April 2024.