The oldest part of the building was designed by William McIntosh Brooks in the Tudor style and completed in 1837.[1] The design for this building, known as the "main entrance block", involved a roughly symmetrical 150 feet (46m) main frontage facing St Helen's Street; the central section featured an arched doorway on the ground floor and a transomed window on the first floor flanked by twin castellated towers; there were also castellated side wings and two end pavilions which were slightly projected forwards.[1]
The building was originally used as a prison and as a facility for dispensing justice but, following the implementation of the Local Government Act 1888, which established county councils in every county, it also became necessary to find a meeting place for East Suffolk County Council.[2] Extensions to the main building, designed by John Corder and Henry Miller, which included a wing to the east known as "St Andrew's House" and a wing to the west known as "St Helen's Court", were completed for this purpose in 1906.[3] St Helen's Court included a clock tower, the clock for which was a gift from the High Sheriff of Suffolk, Sir Thomas Henry Tacon.[4] Internally, the principal room was the council chamber which was located on the first floor of St Helen's Court; there were offices on the ground floor below the council chamber.[5]
The proceedings for the divorce between Wallis Simpson and Ernest Simpson took place at the county hall with the decree nisi being granted on 27 October 1936.[6] This was followed, on 16 November 1936, by the decision of King Edward VIII to announce his intention to marry Wallis Simpson which itself led to the abdication crisis.[7]
Following the implementation of the Local Government Act 1972 the building became the headquarters of Suffolk County Council in 1974; it continued to serve in that role until the county council decided to move out of the building to more modern premises in 2003.[8] The Council moved to Endeavour House in Ipswich the following year and County Hall was acquired by a developer in 2005.[9] After significant deterioration in the condition of the building, it was placed on the local buildings at risk register in 2011.[10]
A planning application to carry out urgent repairs was submitted in October 2019[11] and planning consent was given for the conversion of the building into some 40 apartments in January 2020.[12]
