County Hall, Dorchester

In the early 20th century, Shire Hall in Dorchester was the local facility for dispensing justice and the meeting place of Dorset County Council. After deciding the Shire Hall was inadequate for their needs, county leaders chose to procure a new county headquarters: the site selected had previously been open land known as "Colliton Park" which had once been occupied by the monastic hospital of St John the Baptist. A statue of Thomas Hardy, to the south east of County Hall, predates the building and was erected in 1931. The foundation stone for the new building at Colliton Park was laid by the Lord Lieutenant of Dorset, the Earl of Shaftesbury, on 26 September 1938. Progress was delayed…