Description:There has been a shire building in Stafford since the 1280s, used as a meeting place for the County Court and later for other civic meetings.
The present building, designed by John Harvey and erected between 1795 - 98, is the third of its kind on approximately the same site. Building began behind the old Shire Hall so that once the old building was demolished the new one would face onto a large square.
The Shire Hall was vacated by the Crown Court in 1991 and the hall was restored for use as an art gallery. The rear of the building is now the public library, which moved from The Green in 1999.
The flower beds on Market Square were laid out to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Coronation in 1953. The square was pedestrianised in 1992.