Shropshire Council's Shirehall: Final chapter looms for Shrewsbury's landmark building almost 60 years after Queen's grand opening

Vacated by staff last November, the huge council office block at the eastern gateway to the county town lies empty with a big question mark over its future.

Here is the story so far. 

Historically, the Shirehall was in The Square in Shrewsbury town centre. Then they decided they wanted a new Shirehall, and in the 1960s built the complex in the shadow of Lord Hill's column at great expense in what was Shropshire's biggest public building project since the Second World War.

Despite a big campaign to save the old Shirehall, the handsome building was subsequently demolished.

The new Shirehall became operational in 1966 and was ceremonially opened by the Queen in 1967, with huge crowds in attendance. 

It  would become the workplace for over 1,000 people, but now its functions have been moved back into the town centre, at The Guildhall. 

The Shirehall faces potential demolition, but in an echo of the past, there's a campaign to save it.

And so the wheel has turned full circle.  And who's to say that years from now they won't decide to spend a fortune building another civic headquarters on the town's outskirts? 

Some older Salopians will remember how things were in that part of Shrewsbury before the 1960s Shirehall was built, and we've delved into our archives to dig out before and after aerial photos which can only be a few years apart.

The older one is undated but perhaps around 1958 and shows the Shirehall site as a pleasant area of trees and green spaces, together with some large and dignified buildings.

One of them was a grand house called Nearwell, which was used as a hostel for boys studying at Shrewsbury Technical College. The Victoria County History says Nearwell was demolished in 1961, although that may well be wrong as according to a couple who went on holiday to Scotland in August 1963 they returned to find it had been knocked down while they were away.

Another building which was cleared away was a little cottage, erected by public subscription, which comprised a parlour, kitchen, and bedroom, for a veteran soldier appointed to show people The Column.

Our second aerial picture shows work well under way on the new Shirehall in June 1965. The foundation stone had been laid by Sir Offley Wakeman on July 25, 1964, and the topping out ceremony was on May 29, 1965. Sir Offley was the chairman of the New Shirehall Committee and had been chairman of the then Salop County Council from 1943 to 1963.

The new Shirehall and law courts opened for public business on April 18, 1966, although many Salopians will better remember the ceremony and fanfare of the official opening, which was by the Queen on March 17, 1967. The cost of the project was given as £1.9 million.

As well as being a functional council headquarters, the new Shirehall was also graced by various artworks and artifacts, including a huge cast iron mural in the reception area representing "Shropshire industry through the ages," the work of Rosalind Alexander - on marriage, Rosalind Padfield - who taught art in 1960s Shrewsbury.

The flag was lowered at the Shirehall in February, marking the official closure of the building.