Witham Community Arts Centre

Heritage listing

Details MATERIALS: the Testimonial Hall is of ashlar sandstone with dressed stone to the rear elevation and the Music Hall is of random sandstone. The linking corridor is of white/buff brick and timber; all roofs have slate coverings. PLAN: Witham Testimonial Hall is a rectangular building of three bays, situated on Horse Market at the point where the latter meets Market Place on a gentle curve; to the rear, a covered way links the building to the Music Hall, which is also rectangular in plan with a small box office projection at the south-east. EXTERIOR: The main west elevation of the Testimonial Hall fronting Horse Market is classical in style and comprises two storeys and three bays. The central bay is slightly projecting under a pediment and the ground floor has channelled rustication. A stone ramp gives access to a central pedimented entrance with a stone doorcase of slender Ionic attached columns with double four-panel doors and overlight with lamp above. The flanking windows in each of the end bays are plain round-headed sashes under rusticated voussoirs; an early photograph shows that to the left with a lower pane inscribed with the words ‘Subscription Library – Reading Room’. A wide corniced band continues around the central projecting bay and supports first-floor columns and pilasters. The first floor has central Ionic attached columns flanking a tripartite window with pilaster stone mullions; the outer bays have end pilasters and tall windows; all first-floor windows have sashes with glazing bars, which are partial replacements. The top entablature has a dentilled frieze, with a pedimented central projection and a high roof parapet behind the pediment has flat coping. The word WITHAM is present in relief letters on the central frieze. The rear of the Testimon

From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.