The Old Town Hall is a historic building on Shore Road in Bosham, a town in West Sussex, in England. The structure, which has been converted into a private house, is a Grade II listed building.[1]
| Old Town Hall | |
|---|---|
 The building in 2016 | |
| Location | Shore Road, Bosham |
| Coordinates | 50°49′43″N 0°51′25″W / 50.8287°N 0.8570°W |
| Built | 1694 |
| Architectural style(s) | Neoclassical style |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Official name | Chandler's House |
| Designated | 28 January 1986 |
| Reference no. | 1229816 |
  Shown in West Sussex | |
History
editThe current structure consists of several properties overlooking Chichester Harbour, including a couple of workman's cottages and an early town hall, which individually date back to 1694.[2][3][4] The properties were built in rubble masonry with red brick dressings.[1] The old town hall was used as a local meeting place,[5] possibly by the feudal representatives of the lords of the manor, who, in the 18th century, were the Earls of Berkeley.[6] The properties were later amalgamated to form an integrated structure. To the left of the old town hall, there was a raised walkway, known as the "Trippit", which was built of stones from all over Europe and which had arrived in Bosham as ship's ballast.[7]
By the early 19th century, the building was being used as a private house.[7] A pumping station, in the form of a rotunda, designed in the William and Mary style, was erected in the garden in the early 1930s.[8][9] The house then remained in the hands of the Mackenzie family, from 1934 until well into the 21st century.[2][10] It was marketed for sale for £4.5 million in April 2021.[11][12]
Architecture
editThe design of the house involves an asymmetrical main frontage of six bays facing onto Shore Road. It has two storeys and an attic. It features a doorway designed in the neoclassical style and formed by a pair of brick pilasters supporting a segmental pediment. The other bays on the ground floor and all the bays on the first floor are fenestrated by casement windows. There are three dormer windows at attic level and there is a tiled roof. Internally, it contains five bedrooms, three reception rooms and five bathrooms, plus a home office with sail loft. There are exposed wooden beams throughout.[11] The house also has boat moorings.[13] The building, which has been heavily restored, was grade II listed in 1986, at which time it was known as Chandler's House.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c Historic England. "Chandler's House (1229816)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Property Guide to Bosham". Country Life. 4 July 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ "An old town hall overlooking Chichester Harbour and other lustworthy homes on sale in West Sussex, Devon, London, Scotland and Bristol". The Times. 8 November 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ "Take a look at the most expensive house in the Chichester area on Zoopla". Sussex World. 24 June 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ "Waterside House in U.K.'s West Sussex Asks Just Under £5 Million". Mansion Global. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ Salzman, L. F. (1953). "'Bosham', in A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 4, the Rape of Chichester". London: British History Online. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ a b Happy Bosham Before Goodwood. The Daily Graphic. 21 July 1921. p. 104.
Exterior of the old town hall showing the "Trippit", a local walk , on the left...Town Hall which is now a private house
- ^ "Rounded building known as a Rotunda on the grounds of Chandler's House (The Old Town Hall) built in William and Mary style in Bosham, West Sussex, UK". Alamy. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ Coombe, Derek; Price, Peter J.; Stern, Peter H. (1 May 2001). "Bosham Flood and Sewerage Report" (PDF). Bosham Association. p. 39. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ "Origins of the system: Twentieth Century Pumping Stations of Bosham: a brief history" (PDF). The Bosham Association. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ a b Stangroom, Lydia (29 April 2021). "A delightful waterside home for sale that almost dips its toes into Chichester Harbour". Country Life. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ "Where to buy property in Chichester, West Sussex". The Times. 2 July 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ "Five high-end homes with boat moorings". Financial Times. 11 July 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2024.