C20 Society has requested a list amendment to the Grade II* Victorian Guildhall in Northampton (E. W. Godwin, 1861-4, extended 1889-92) to include an exemplary contextual modern extension by architects Stimpson Walton Bond (1991), which has recently been saved from a fire-sale of publicly owned assets by the Reform UK-led council.

In July 2025 it was announced that West Northamptonshire Council were to sell the 90s Guildhall Extension as part of a cost-cutting exercise, a move criticised by the local MP, Mike Reader who condemned the regional council for “selling a town’s heritage and culture to the highest bidder”. Father Oliver Coss, Rector of All Saints’ Church near the Guildhall, added that it was “regrettable this arresting piece of modern architecture is going to fall out of public use”.

In November 2025, Northampton Town Council voted unanimously to buy the long-term lease as a way of  securing their future occupancy and ongoing community use of the building. Les Marriott, the chair of the Town Council’s policy and finance committee and Labour leader, said: “The town council considers the Guildhall extension to be of architectural, civic and cultural importance and we are committed to safeguarding its future so it continues to reflect Northampton’s heritage…this agreement in principle allows us to explore how we can protect the building and develop it into an accessible civic asset that serves the needs of our community.”

Up to the nineties, Northampton Borough Council’s four main departments had been spread throughout the town in unsuitable leased accommodation and the extension was the result of a decision to centralise it activities and to provide one focal point for the public. Stimpson Walton Bond won the competition to design the extension to the Guildhall in January 1990, with the final design selected by a public ballot in which more than 5,000 people cast votes.

In the extension, Stimpson Walton Bond created a striking building seeking to completement rather than copy E. W. Godwin’s original Guildhall. The buildings design reflects the proportions, rhythm and materials of the original stone façade, but in a simpler form on a structural steel frame. The use of local handmade Charnwood brick was key to the design and was chosen to carefully reflect the materials used on other parts of the Guildhall and of other market town guildhalls. The two public areas are on the ground floor around a central courtyard, with a vaulted arcade giving improved access to the Guildhall itself. There are offices on the upper floors and a car park in the basement.

Lead architect by Maurice Walton (1931-2011) was from Northampton and left a noticeable mark on his home town, designing a number of other prominent buildings including a lift-testing tower for the Express Lift Company, which became the youngest building to be listed when it was awarded Grade II status in 1997 (List Entry No. 1031518). The architects’ impact on the town is also recognised with two gargoyles on the gable end balcony of the east wing of the extension, which bear the faces of both Maurice Walton and Alf Bond.