The Guildhall was built between 1834 and 1835 to replace the town's original 16th century guildhall and market house.[1] Owing to the inconvenient position of the original hall at Fore Street, the decision to erect a replacement was finalised in 1833.[2][3] The foundation stone of the new hall was laid on 20 December 1834.[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.[5] The building, which also served as the local corn exchange, first opened on 21 September 1835.[6]
The guildhall clock was manufactured by A. Payne,[7] and installed to celebrate the accession of Queen Victoria to the throne in 1837;[8] it strikes the hours and chimes the quarters on two bells.[9] The building has been Grade II* listed since 1950.[2]
Much of the building's interior was remodelled around 1970,[2] with the entire building later undergoing renovation work between 1998 and 2003.[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.[11]
The guildhall was the meeting place of the municipal borough of Chard, formed in response to the Municipal Corporations Act 1835.[12] It ceased to be the local seat of government when, following further local government re-organisation,[13] the enlarged South Somerset Council was formed in 1974.[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.[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.[8]
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