County Hall, Dorchester

The County Hall is a municipal facility at Colliton Park in Dorchester, Dorset.

County Hall, Dorchester
County Hall
County Hall Location within Dorset
General information
Address	Colliton Park, Dorchester, Dorset
Country	United Kingdom
Coordinates	50.7166°N 2.4406°W / 50.7166; -2.4406
Completed	1955
Design and construction
Architect	H E Matthews

History

Originally Shire Hall in Dorchester was the local facility for dispensing justice and the meeting place of Dorset County Council.[1] The foundation stone for the new building at Colliton Park was laid by the Earl of Shaftesbury, Lord Lieutenant of Dorset, in September 1938.[2] The new building, which was designed by H E Matthews, County Architect, opened in May 1955.[2] The plans for the new building were modified so that a Roman townhouse, located just north of site, could remain in situ.[3]

Following the merger of the former non-metropolitan districts of Weymouth and Portland, West Dorset, North Dorset, Purbeck and East Dorset in April 2019,[4] a new unitary authority, known as Dorset Council, continued to use County Hall alongside South Walks House in Dorchester as its headquarters.[5] However, the new unitary authority put nearly 600 staff at risk of redundancy in July 2019.[6]

References

1. "About Shire Hall". Shire Hall, Dorset. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
2. "County Hall - Colliton Park, Dorchester, Dorset". Waymarking. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
3. Historic England. "Roman House, Dorchester (1210098)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
4. "New unitary authorities formally takeover from Dorset's nine councils". Public Sector Executive. 1 April 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
5. "Dorchester Town Council". Archived from the original on 1 June 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
6. "Dorset Council staff warned of redundancy over mergers". BBC. 30 July 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.