e foot of the castle, on
its demolition in 1825. The principal entrance is on the west, and
over this are the arms of Queen Elizabeth and the date 1596. It will
be noticed that one of the supporters is not the unicorn, but the red
dragon of Wales. The interior is now partly devoted to various
municipal offices, and partly used as the Mayor's Court, the roof of
which still retains its old character." It was formerly known as the
Old Market Hall, but the business of the market has been transferred
to the huge but tasteless building of brick erected at the top of
Mardol in 1869, the erection of which caused the destruction of
several picturesque old houses which can ill be spared.

Cirencester possesses a magnificent town hall, a stately
Perpendicular building, which stands out well against the noble church
tower of the same period. It has a gateway flanked by buttresses and
arcades on each side and two upper storeys with pierced battlements at
the top which are adorned with richly floriated pinnacles. A great
charm of the building are the three oriel windows extending from the
top of the ground-floor division to the foot of the battlements. The
surface of the wall of the facade is cut into panels, and niches for
statues adorn the faces of the four buttresses. The whole forms a most
elaborate piece of Perpendicular work of unusual character. We
understand that it needs repair and is in some danger. The aid of the
Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings has been called in,
and their report has been sent to the civic authorities, who will, we
hope, adopt their recommendations and deal kindly and tenderly with
this most interesting structure.

Another famous guild hall is in danger, that at Norwich. It has even
been suggested that it should be pulled down and a new one erected,
but happily this wild scheme has been abandoned. Old buildings like
not new inventions, just as old people fear to cross the road lest
they should be run over by a motor-car. Norwich Guildhall does not
approve of electric tram-cars, which run close to its north side and
cause its old bones to vibrate in a most uncomfortable fashion. You
can perceive how much it objects to these horrid cars by feeling the
vibration of the walls when you are standing on the level of the
street or on the parapet. You will not therefore be surprised to find
ominous cracks in the old walls, and the roof is none too safe, the
large span having tried severely the st