Monument record 179/14 - Nantwich Guildhall & Grammar School

The Guildhall was purchased from the Crown (Elizabeth I) for use as a School by Mr John Thrush and Mr Thomas Thrush, of London, who are referred to as 'Woolpackers'. The building was extended by the addition of a wing or porch in 1611. The school was closed in 1858 and demolished during alterations to the churchyard associated with the restoration of the church. An illustration shows it to be a large timber-framed building (1).

Its location is shown on the 1:500 town plan of 1851 and the Tithe map of 1846 (2 & 3).

The Guildhall was originally the building used by the towns guild for meetings and administrative purposes. The existence of a guild in Nantwich is evidenced by the town regulations of 1538. The guild may have been suppressed during the reformation as the Guild hall passes into the ownership of the Crown (4).

<1> Hall J, 1883, A History of the Town and Parish of Nantwich or Wich-Malbank in the County Palatine of Chester, p.373-8 (Book). SCH80.

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1851, Nantwich Board of Health Map, 1851 sheet 2 (Maps and Plans). SCH2431.

<3> See map for surveyor, c.1837-51, Cheshire Tithe Maps and Awards, EDT 285/2 (Maps and Plans). SCH3266.

<4> Cheshire County Council, 2002, Cheshire Historic Towns Survey: Crewe & Nantwich Borough Part 1: Archaeological Assessments, p.66 (Report). SCH6691.