FINISHING touches are being made to refurbishment works at the 15th century Guildhall in Chipping Norton which have themselves unearthed some interesting finds.

As well as improving the look of the building inside and out, the essential maintenance work being carried out on the West Oxfordshire District Council offices has provided a glimpse in the listed building's past.

During the six-week refurbishment, contractors have replaced the rotting wooden sash windows, installed stone window sills, removed crumbling concrete render from the external walls and replaced it with breathable lime render and carefully chipped away whitewashed render on internal walls to expose original stone bricks.

The building has been repainted on the outside and entrance doors and surrounds refurbished.

The renovation work has cost around £50,000, about £20,000 under budget.

While removing the render externally, a ‘hidden’ entrance was discovered and inside the building a beam set into a wall has been exposed along with an intriguing section of red bricks among stone.

The Guildhall has been used by the district council since 1974 and now offers a one-stop shop for council and police services, after taking on police counter services a year ago.

Cllr Simon Hoare, Cabinet Member for Resources, said: “The Guildhall is a building of historical importance in a prominent position in the town centre and whilst these refurbishment works were essential to the upkeep of the building, it is also extremely interesting to see some more of its secrets revealed.”

Members of the Chipping Norton Buildings Record, who are working on a project with English Heritage which includes the Guildhall as one of the important historic buildings in the town, have visited the building during the refurbishment works to document the new findings.

The Guildhall was built around 1500 by the Guild of the Holy Trinity, which administered the local market. The original building had an open-arched ground floor with the guild chamber at first-floor level. Previous refurbishment work has already uncovered many historic features which have been preserved, including a vaulted roof space.

The latest refurbishment is almost complete, with future plans to install a glass viewing pane to give a view into the original basement space beneath the building.