Corn Exchange, Blandford Forum

Name: Corn Exchange, Blandford Forum
Address: 19 Market Place, Blandford Forum, DT117AF, GB
Telephone: +441258454500
Price range: Not applicable
Rating: 5

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Corn Exchange, Blandford Forum

The Corn Exchange is a multi-purpose community venue. The Town Council will use this page to promote
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10/09/2024

10/07/2024

11/04/2024

📣The building is now closed to the public for the refurbishment works, which are due to be completed September 2025, and updates on the project can be found here: https://blandfordforum-tc.gov.uk/corn-exchange

🤝We are pleased to announce that Hammond Building Contractors have been awarded the contract for the Town Hall/Corn Exchange works and the pre-start meeting has taken place. The Town Clerk, Linda Scott-Giles is pictured centre with the team from Hammond on her right. On her left are the Design Team, including the architect's four-legged assistant, Nellie!

In person attendees pictured left to right:
Graham Kick – Site Manager – Hammond Building Contractors
Peter Hammond – Contract Surveyor – Hammond Building Contractors
David Middleton – Contracts Manager – Hammond Building Contractors
Philip Hammond – Managing Director – Hammond Building Contractors
Linda Scott-Giles – Blandford Forum Town Council
Ian Walker – Walker Associates Chartered Quantity Surveyors
Ed Morton – Structural Engineer – The Morton Partnership Ltd
Malcolm Simmonds – Architect – Malcolm Simmonds Architects
Nellie the Dog – Architect's Assistant
Terry Hill – Design Engineer – QODA Consulting
Jon Goodenough (not pictured) – Blandford Forum Town Council

Virtual attendees:
Philip Waller – Advisor to Principal Designer – Philip Waller Consulting
Ross Ingham – Client Advisor – Ingham Pinnock Associates
Kate Pinnock – Client Advisor – Ingham Pinnock Associates
Jonathan Foot – Acoustic Consultant – Kromers Ltd
Cristian Petrescu – Structural Engineer – The Morton Partnership Ltd
Corn Exchange, Blandford Forum
Ingham Pinnock Associates
The Morton Partnership Ltd

28/02/2024

Coming to the Corn Exchange, Blandford Forum, on Friday 22nd March 2024.
Tickets available here: https://www.psychicmediumnikkikitt.com/

20/02/2024

🤩 We are really looking forward to spending Saturday morning with...

Blandford Community Fridge
Foster with Dorset Council
Blandford Evening WI
Blandford Forum Parish Church
Blandford Fashion Museum
Blandford Library
Blandford War on Waste / Clean Up Blandford Campaign
The Performing Arts Theatre Academy - Blandford Forum
The Blandford Group Practice
Dorset Council Cllr Byron Quayle
Safe Families
Knees Up
Blandford Yuletide Festival
Blandford Flower Club
Resonate Acappella - Women's Barbershop Chorus of Dorset
Blandford Bowling Club
Blandford forum snooker club
Blandford & District U3A
Blandford United Methodist Church
Skills & Learning
Blandford & District Royal British Legion
Blandford Information Centre
Blandford Health Walks
Disability Action Group - North Dorset
Blandford Environmental Trust

With refreshments provided by the Mayor of Blandford Forum’s charities:
Blandford Town Museum
Nourish Blandford

15/02/2024

Exciting news for the building!

👏The council meeting on Monday 12th February 2024 ended with a round of applause, with our two senior Councillors - Haydn White and Lynn Lindsay - proposing and seconding the appointment of a contractor and application for a loan from the Public Works Loan Board, which was agreed unanimously by Councillors in attendance.

🥰Members of the public were also in attendance, including hirers, current and past members of staff and the Mace Bearer.

😄The Grade I Listed Building is in desperate need of an overhaul and the plans include improving access throughout so it will be for everyone, for many years to come!

🤞The loan application has been submitted to the government department for Parish Borrowing and an outcome is awaited.

😅In the meantime, the Town Hall, Council Chamber and Corn Exchange is still in use until the end of March.

📜More information can be viewed here: https://blandfordforum-tc.gov.uk/corn-exchange

Ingham Pinnock Associates
Sam JamesCex

08/02/2024

Progress for the Corn Exchange on Monday evening…

The agenda for the Corn Exchange meeting, scheduled for Monday 12th February 2024, can be accessed via the following link:https://blandfordforum-tc.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/120224-Town-Council-Corn-Exchange-Meeting.pdf

19/01/2024

🙌🏼

For more information, and to view the Decision Notices, please visit: https://blandfordforum-tc.gov.uk/corn-exchange

04/01/2024

Happy New Year. We would like to invite you to our New Year New You Wellness Clinic. As ever lots of services on hand to support you. We will also be holding a free raffle for everyone that comes in, with a chance to win a Fruit Hamper and other goodies for healthy living.

08/11/2023

The last "walk-in" of 2023 is taking place in the Corn Exchange on Tuesday 28th November 2023 from 10am to 12pm.

There is no Walk-in taking place in December at the Corn Exchange.

11/10/2023

This months Wellness Walk-In will take place on Tuesday 31st October 2023 from 10am to 12pm

27/09/2023

📣We are thrilled that the Town Hall & Corn Exchange is one of these successful projects! We are getting closer...

14/09/2023

You can visit the Town Hall and Council Chamber above the Shambles and Corn Exchange on Saturday morning, during the Community Expo!

Address

19 Market Place
Blandford Forum
DT117AF

Telephone

+441258454500

Website

https://blandfordforum-tc.gov.uk/services#venues

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Videos

Rolling into the weekend with Dorset Sk8 Jam at the Corn Exchange 🛼👻

Don't miss The Salts in concert here at the Corn Exchange in Blandford Forum. Sunday 5th November. Sunday 5th November https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/blandford-forum/the-corn-exchange/the-salts-trafalgar-way-tour/e-jgmbol 🎤🪕⚓️ #thesalts #TrafalgarWay #BFTC #Blandfordforumtowncouncil #CornExchangeBlandfordForum

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A brief history of the Town Hall, Council Chamber and Corn Exchange buildings

The buildings are collectively locally known as 'The Corn Exchange' but are formed from three distinct elements - the Town Hall dated 1734, the Corn Exchange dated 1858, and the Town Council offices dated 1990/91. The axonometric diagram below illustrates the different elements of the buildings.

The front element of the buildings, the Town Hall is a two storey, three windowed Portland Stone ashlar façade, surmounted by enriched cornice and pediment, in the Classical style. Although all the buildings are listed by virtue of their adjoinment, it is this building which holds the principal heritage importance. The ground floor consists of an open, flag-stoned loggia accessed via the Market Place via three matching semi-circular arches. The side arches have fixed sets of substantial wrought iron gates with lanterns above. The central arch gates open to allow access.

A pair of doors at the rear of the loggia set within a central moulded arch lead into service accommodation comprising of toilets, caretaker's office, kitchen and store. This part of the building has been altered substantially. The first floor accommodation is accessed via a modern narrow, dog-leg concrete staircase. At the top a single original arched sash window lights the stair well and landing. There are two rooms at this level - the original magistrates’ courtroom which extends across the front of the building and a meeting room created in a 1930's refurbishment of the premises.

The courtroom remains unaltered from its original form. Repairs carried out in the 1960's replaced the original floor and windows. These windows have subsequently been replaced in 2010/11 due to deterioration. The main modification made to this room is the access which was formerly via the central archway (now blocked) with the current access located via a smaller doorway within the site of the eastern arch.

The meeting room is oak panelled throughout in a neo-classical style typical of the 1930's with a central, but not original, fireplace. The room has high-level, north facing sash windows.

The Corn Exchange building was built 1858/1859 to replace a smaller market house built in 1848 on the same plot. The Town Council offices are constructed above the below-ground service accommodation to the Corn Exchange. Constructed in 1991, and although covered by the Grade I listing, this building, is not sensitive in historical terms.

The Town Hall and Corn Exchange were Grade 1 listed on 27th October 1950, as follows:

Portland stone ashlar front. Signed "Bastard, Architect" and dated 1734. Frieze. 2 storey 3 window front, enriched cornice and pediment. Draped stone vases to pediment and quoin parapets. Clock in tympanum. The three lst floor windows have moulded architraves, enriched pulvinated friezes, and pediments, the central one being segmental. Moulded strings. The ground floor has 3 semi-circular arches with moulded imposts and archivolts leading to open portico, formerly a market. The front room on the 1st floor has some original fittings and also portraits of the Bastards. Behind is a mid-Victorian Corn Exchange with interesting elliptical roof-trusses. Gates to semi-circular arches in portico.

There have been several proposed refurbishments over the years, which have been thwarted by the 1974 reorganisation, changes in Councillors/staffing over the years, the complex layout and levels of the building, issues with neighbouring land and properties, and lack of funds required with Councillors not wishing to burden the local taxpayers with the costs.

The Town Council appointed new, local architects in May 2018 and are now working towards a new brief for the building, which focuses on access (for all) to the Town Hall and Council Chamber and a multi-purpose community venue that the town can be proud of.