A county hall or shire hall is a common name given to a building that houses the seat of local government for a county.
The location of the county hall has usually denoted the county town.
In the case of Surrey, England, when county boundaries changed the county hall remained in Kingston upon Thames. County halls usually contain a council chamber, committee rooms and offices.
List of county and shire halls United Kingdom England County halls in England, with the ceremonial county they served, include:
Image Name Town or city County Years built Style Years in use Reference Avon House Bristol Avon 1969–1972 International style 1974–1996: Avon County Council 1996–1999: Bristol City Council 1999–2024: private use as a hotel (demolished in 2025) County Hall Bedford Bedfordshire 1965–1969 Brutalist style 1970–2009: Bedfordshire County Council 2009–present: Bedford Borough Council Shire Hall Reading Berkshire 1981 Brutalist style 1981–1998: Berkshire County Council 2000–2017: Foster Wheeler AG 2017–present: John Wood Group plc City Hall Bristol Bristol 1938–1952 Neo-Georgian style 1956–present: Bristol City Council County Hall Aylesbury Buckinghamshire 1964–1966 Brutalist style 1966–2020: Buckinghamshire County Council 2020–present Buckinghamshire Council Shire Hall Cambridge Cambridgeshire 1932 Neo-Georgian style 1932–2020: Cambridgeshire County Council 2020–present: hotel and office development New Shire Hall Alconbury Weald Cambridgeshire 2019–2020 Modern style 2020–present: Cambridgeshire County Council County Hall Chester Cheshire 1938–1957 Neo-Georgian style 1957–2009: Cheshire County Council 2009–present: University of Chester Municipal Buildings Middlesbrough Cleveland 1883–1889 French Gothic Style 1889–1968: Middlesbrough Borough Council 1968–1974: Teesside County Borough Council 1974–1996: Cleveland County Council 1966–present: Middlesbrough Council Lys Kernow Truro Cornwall 1966 Brutalist style 1966–2009: Cornwall County Council 2009–present: Cornwall Council Cumbria House Carlisle Cumberland / Cumbria 2016 Modern style 2016–2023: Cumbria County Council 2023–present: Cumberland Council County Hall Matlock Derbyshire 1867 Victorian neo-gothic 1867–1955: Smedley's Hydropathic Hospital 1955–present: Derbyshire County Council County Hall Exeter Devon 1958–1964 Neo-classical style 1964–present: Devon County Council County Hall Dorchester Dorset 1938–1955 Art Deco style 1955–2019: Dorset County Council 2019–present: Dorset Council County Hall Durham County Durham 1960–1963 Brutalist style 1963–present: Durham County Council County Hall Lewes East Sussex 1968 Modern style 1968–present: East Sussex County Council Also used by Lewes District Council County Hall Beverley East Riding of Yorkshire 1881 Flemish Renaissance style 1889–1974: East Riding County Council 1974–1996: Humberside County Council 1996–present: East Riding of Yorkshire Council County Hall Chelmsford Essex 1909 Neo-classical style 1909–present: Essex County Council Shire Hall Gloucester Gloucestershire 1816 Neo-classical style 1816–present: Gloucestershire County Council City Hall London Greater London 2012 Modern style 2012–present: Greater London Authority County Hall Manchester Greater Manchester 1973 Modern style 1974–1986: Greater Manchester County Council1986–present: Commercial offices Castle Hill Winchester Hampshire 1833 Elizabethan style 1889–present: Hampshire County Council Shirehall Hereford Herefordshire 1817 Neo-classical style 1889–1974: Herefordshire County Council1998–present: Herefordshire Council County Hall Hertford Hertfordshire 1939 Neo-Georgian style with Scandinavian elements 1939–present: Hertfordshire County Council County Hall Boston Holland 1927 Gothic Revival style 1927–1974: Holland County Council1974–present:Public library Walden House Huntingdon Huntingdonshire 1674 Jacobean style 1889–1965: Huntingdonshire County Council1965–1974: Huntingdon and Peterborough County Council 1974–present: Municipal offices and then private apartments County Hall March Isle of Ely 1909 Edwardian style 1909–1965: Isle of Ely County Council1974–present: Fenland District Council County Hall Newport Isle of Wight 1938 Neo-Georgian style 1938–present: Isle of Wight County Council County Hall Maidstone Kent 1824 Greek Revival style 1889–present: Kent County Council County Offices Sleaford Kesteven 1856 Italianate style 1925–1974: Kesteven County Council1974–present: North Kesteven District Council County Hall Preston Lancashire 1882 Queen Anne revival style 1889–present: Lancashire County Council "Opening of the new Town-Hall at Preston". The Times. 15 September 1882. County Hall Glenfield Leicestershire 1967 Brutalist style 1967–present: Leicestershire County Council County Offices Lincoln Lindsey / Lincolnshire 1932 Neo-Georgian style 1932–1974: Lindsey County Council1974–present: Lincolnshire County Council The Guildhall Westminster Middlesex 1913 Neo-Gothic style 1913–1965: Middlesex County Council1965–2009: Used as a court2009–present: Supreme Court of the United Kingdom Metropolitan House Liverpool Merseyside 1974 Modern style 1974–1986: Merseyside County Council1986–present: Commercial offices Whitaker's Almanack 1982, p. 628 County Hall Norwich Norfolk 1968 Modern style 1968–present: Norfolk County Council County Hall Northampton Northamptonshire 1845 Neo-classical style 1899–2021: Northamptonshire County Council2021–present: Tourist Information Centre County Hall Morpeth Northumberland 1981 Modern style 1981–present: Northumberland County Council County Hall Northallerton North Yorkshire 1906 Edwardian Baroque style 1906–1974: North Riding County Council1974–present: North Yorkshire County Council County Hall Nottingham Nottinghamshire 1954 Modern style 1954–present: Nottinghamshire County Council County Hall Oxford Oxfordshire 1841 Gothic Revival style 1899–present: Oxfordshire County Council Catmose House Oakham Rutland 1781 Neo-classical style 1899–1974: Rutland County Council1997–present: Rutland County Council Shirehall Shrewsbury Shropshire 1966 Modern style 1966–present: Shropshire County Council County Hall Taunton Somerset 1935 Neo-Georgian style 1935–present: Somerset County Council County Hall Barnsley South Yorkshire 1960 Brutalist style 1974–1986: South Yorkshire County Council1974–2015: Commercial offices (demolished in 2015) County Buildings Stafford Staffordshire 1895 Baroque revival style 1899–present: Staffordshire County Council Endeavour House Ipswich Suffolk 2003 Modern style 2003–present: Suffolk County Council Woodhatch Place Reigate Surrey 1999 Modern style 2020–present: Surrey County Council Sandyford House Newcastle upon Tyne Tyne and Wear 1974 Brutalist style 1974–1986: Tyne and Wear County Council1986–present: Commercial offices Shire Hall Warwick Warwickshire 1758 Neo-classical style 1899–present: Warwickshire County Council County Hall Birmingham West Midlands 1970 Brutalist style 1974–1986: West Midlands County Council1986–present: Commercial offices County Hall Kendal Westmorland 1939 Neo-Georgian style 1939–1974: Westmorland County Council1974–2024: Municipal offices County Hall Chichester West Sussex 1933 Neo-Georgian style 1933–present: West Sussex County Council County Hall Wakefield West Yorkshire 1898 Gothic Revival style 1898–1974: West Riding County Council1974–1986: West Yorkshire County Council1986–present: Wakefield Metropolitan District Council County Hall Trowbridge Wiltshire 1940 Neo-Georgian style 1940–present: Wiltshire County Council County Hall Worcester Worcestershire 1978 Brutalist style 1978–1998: Hereford and Worcester County Council1998–present: Worcestershire County Council
Scotland County halls ceased to have a role in Scotland in 1975, when a system of large regional councils was introduced.Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 Former county halls in Scotland, with the county they served, include: