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The Guildhall is a town hall and community building in the town of Chard in the English county of Somerset.

• History

• Architecture

• References

The Guildhall was built between 1834 and 1835 to replace the town's original 16th century guildhall and market house.cite-ref-1[1] Owing to the inconvenient position of the original hall at Fore Street, the decision to erect a replacement was finalised in 1833.cite-ref-historicengland1-2-0[2]cite-ref-3[3] The foundation stone of the new hall was laid on 20 December 1834.cite-ref-4[4] Designed by the local architect Richard Carver of Taunton in the Classical style, it originally incorporated a town hall, market house and butchery, and cost over £3,000 to build.cite-ref-5[5] The building, which also served as the local corn exchange, first opened on 21 September 1835.cite-ref-6[6]

The guildhall clock was manufactured by A. Payne,cite-ref-museum-7-0[7] and installed to celebrate the accession of Queen Victoria to the throne in 1837;cite-ref-clock-8-0[8] it strikes the hours and chimes the quarters on two bells.cite-ref-9[9] The building has been Grade II* listed since 1950.cite-ref-historicengland1-2-1[2]

Much of the building's interior was remodelled around 1970,cite-ref-historicengland1-2-2[2] with the entire building later undergoing renovation work between 1998 and 2003.cite-ref-10[10] The weather vane on top of the building, which is 7 feet (2.1 m) high and weighs 32 stone (450 lb; 200 kg) was taken down for restoration by a local blacksmith in spring 2002.cite-ref-11[11]

The guildhall was the meeting place of the municipal borough of Chard, formed in response to the Municipal Corporations Act 1835.cite-ref-12[12] It ceased to be the local seat of government when, following further local government re-organisation,cite-ref-13[13] the enlarged South Somerset Council was formed in 1974.cite-ref-14[14] The Guildhall has housed the offices of Chard Town Council since 2009, and is also regularly used by local community groups for a variety of activities.cite-ref-15[15]

The mechanism for the guildhall clock, weighing 200 kilograms (440 lb), was removed during the renovation of the building and returned, fully restored, in spring 2008.cite-ref-clock-8-1[8]

The Guildhall is built of Hamstone sourced from nearby Ham Hill, with slate roofs. The two-storey building has a T-shaped plan and is designed in the Classical style. The facade features a Doric portico with a double row of Tuscan columns at ground level and Doric columns on the second-storey. A domed cupola, featuring clock faces on three sides, sits on top of the facade's pediment. Both the council chamber and mayor's parlour survive unaltered.cite-ref-historicengland1-2-3[2]

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cite-note-11. ↑ citerefgathercole2002Gathercole, Clare (2002). "Somerset Extensive Urban Survey - Chard Archaeological Assessment" (PDF). Somerset Heritage. p. 17. Retrieved 18 August 2020.

cite-note-historicengland1-22. ↑ citerefhistoric-england1197456Historic England (24 March 1950). "The Guildhall, Chard Town (1197456)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 8 September 2018.

cite-note-33. ↑ citerefhistoric-england191439Historic England. "Guildhall (191439)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 8 September 2018.

cite-note-44. ↑ Western Flying Post, or Sherborne and Yeovil Mercury - 29 December 1834 - page 3

cite-note-55. ↑ citereflewis1848Lewis, Samuel (1848). "Topographical Dictionary of England". S. Lewis & Co. p. 548. Retrieved 8 September 2018.

cite-note-66. ↑ citerefpulman1854Pulman, George Philip R. (1854). The Book of the Axe. Longman, Brown, Green and Longmans. p. 229. Retrieved 8 September 2018.

cite-note-museum-77. ↑ "Chard Town Hall". Chard Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2023.

cite-note-clock-88. ↑ "Guildhall clock to get its 'tummy' back". Chard and Ilminster News. 17 January 2008. Retrieved 18 August 2020.

cite-note-99. ↑ "The 'Leaning' Clock". Chard Museum. Retrieved 10 March 2025.

cite-note-1010. ↑ "Leaning tower of Chard". Country Gazette. 16 October 2002. Retrieved 31 January 2021.

cite-note-1111. ↑ "Weather vane down". Somerset County Gazette. 20 February 2002. Retrieved 18 August 2020.

cite-note-1212. ↑ "Municipal Corporations Act 1835". UK Parliament. Retrieved 18 August 2020.

cite-note-1313. ↑ Local Government Act 1972. 1972 c.70. The Stationery Office Ltd. 1997. ISBN 0-10-547072-4.

cite-note-1414. ↑ "Chard RD". A vision of Britain Through Time. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 18 August 2020.

cite-note-1515. ↑ "The Guildhall - Chard Town Council". Chard.gov.uk. Retrieved 8 September 2018.