Last chance to save 'marmite' Shirehall

Shropshire Council's former headquarters in Shrewsbury is a shadow of its former self.

The site feels on the brink of demolition. Rooms have been emptied and walls have been damaged in the process of removing electronics and utilities. Almost nothing remains.

I walked Shirehall's cold corridors last week and it was hard to imagine the building in its heyday, with its Japanese garden, shiny mahogany flooring and pristine Portland stone.

The Liberal Democrat administration is hoping to have Shirehall razed to the ground and the nine-acre site repurposed. But the ruling party has a fight on its hands.

On Friday, I had a tour of the 1960s building alongside a committed group of residents who are desperately trying to save it from the wrecking ball.

We visited areas of the building that were often restricted to non-council employees, such as the underground nuclear bunker.

The large metal sliding doors that separate the protected basement from the rest of the building were a striking reminder that Shirehall was built during the Cold War.

We were also shown the old holding cells for crown court defendants. Some of their names remain etched into the wooden benches.

To most residents, the six-storey office block is an eyesore that's visible from Abbey Foregate - a bad first impression of the medieval town.

But to some local historians and architects, Shirehall is a masterpiece.

"We think it's the most important post-war building in the whole of Shropshire," said Phil Scoggins, from the Shrewsbury Civic Society.

"Without it, a huge chasm appears in the architectural history of our town and county.

"It is a marmite building and there is still a negative attitude towards buildings of the 1960s."

When asked what his favourite part of Shirehall was he said the unusual-looking council chamber, which protrudes from the building.

"It's fabulous. It reminds me of watching the Thunderbirds TV series. You can almost imagine Thunderbird Three coming out of the top of it," he said.

The tour was organised by the leader of the Reform UK group on Shropshire Council.

Dawn Husemann thought the proposal to knock it down had been predetermined by a council officer and lacked scrutiny and oversight by elected members.

She pressed for a cross-party group of councillors, known as a task and finish group, to be established so all options could be explored before a decision on its future was made.

"So far there hasn't been, from my perspective at least, sufficient engagement with heritage groups, the public or staff, and they are a part of this decision making process," said Husemann, who was elected to the council five months after the authority vacated Shirehall.

"I'm not into just pulling down everything that's old and that new and shiny is always better.

"This is the primary civic building of the whole of Shropshire. And if this goes, we're never going to have anything like this again."

Shropshire Council's previous Conservative administration announced that staff had just days to leave Shirehall at the end of 2024.

The plan was to move operations to the much smaller Guildhall in Shrewsbury town centre to save hundreds of thousands of pounds a year in maintenance and heating costs.

With Shropshire Council's weak financial situation dictating how every penny is spent, the new Liberal Democrat-run authority backed a council recommendation in December 2025 to demolish Shirehall and work with partners to regenerate the site.

Plans include building a range of housing, a 100-bed retirement home, a GP practice and commercial space.

The authority is hoping to generate money from both selling off some of the land, while also generating an income from rent.

In contrast, refurbishing the existing site has been estimated at £54.5m - money the authority would have to borrow.

"We have to use our heads and not our hearts when making this decision," said Rob Wilson, portfolio holder for transport and economic growth.

"Shirehall is more than bricks and mortar. It has been the heart of Shropshire Council for decades.

"The reality is that Shirehall has become costly to maintain and operate. Annual maintenance costs are around £400,000 and the building requires significant investment to remain fit for purpose.

"At a time when we face unprecedented financial pressures and the need to protect front-line services and our staff, continuing as we are is not sustainable."

The future of Shirehall has not been decided. A report produced by the task and finish group will be presented to council leaders in the coming months.

But with the authority already facing the prospect of having to borrow hundreds of millions of pounds to pay for day-to-day spending in the next five years, taking on another loan to save Shirehall seems a very unlikely decision.

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