To spot County Hall, look for a grand curved building of buff and pink bricks with elegant white stone details, standing proudly ahead with its main entrance facing the green of The Crescent and framed by lush, trimmed hedges.
Now, take a moment to imagine yourself back in 1935, right on this spot. You’d see a flurry of excitement as local leaders watched their brand new County Hall spring up-bigger, bolder, and grander than anything the county had ever had before. The old Shire Hall was starting to burst at the seams with all the county’s paperwork, politics, and probably more than a few lost teabags, so Somerset decided to spread its wings just to the east, right where you’re standing now.
Architect E. Vincent Harris designed this beauty in what's called the neo-Georgian style, but I like to call it ‘fancy but friendly.’ Just look at the central entrance-arched and welcoming, crowned proudly with the Somerset coat of arms, as if to say, “Come in, we’ve got council business and biscuits.” If you listen closely… well, you’ll probably just hear the pigeons, but you might *imagine* the echo of footsteps and debate in smart English accents from decades past.
Over the years, County Hall stretched itself even further, growing new wings to the southwest and southeast-sort of like a building doing yoga. By the 1960s, it had expanded so much that it covered nearly all the open land around here. The building also has a taste for drama. In 2007, the Earl of Wessex dropped by to plant a tree for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award’s 50th birthday, and in 2009, soldiers in glittering uniforms arrived to place their regimental colours in the grand entrance. That’s real-life pageantry-eat your heart out, Netflix!
Nowadays, County Hall shares its space with Taunton Deane Council, and it’s had a £10 million makeover, so it’s looking tip-top. Before we carry on, just imagine all the decisions, stories, and secrets tucked behind those buff and pink bricks. If only these walls could talk... though with my luck, they’d probably just ask for central heating!
