Victorian Tile Sponsorship

This sponsorship scheme ended on 28th February 2026. A book is now being compiled of all the names of sponsors and this will be displayed in the Corn Exchange and on this page in due course.

Following the Great Fire of Blandford in 1731, the Town Hall and Shambles were designed and constructed by the Bastard brothers in 1734. The Corn Exchange was added later, in 1858, and in 1891 the hall was richly decorated with faience tiles. These decorative tiles have been concealed beneath plywood boxing for several decades, and we now look forward to their restoration and reinstatement as part of the refurbishment of the town’s stunning Grade I Listed building, which is the jewel in the crown of Blandford Forum.

A specialist consultant in historic tiling assessed the condition of the tiles and provided recommendations for their repair and replacement. There are 23 different types of tile, with around 1,200 in total, and the restoration process is expected to take nearly 1,000 hours to complete.

Among the decorative details is the face of Demeter, the Greek goddess of agriculture, featured on some of the tiles. As a revered figure in ancient Greek religion and the deity of harvest, grain, and fertility, her presence is especially fitting in the Corn Exchange, where corn was traded in the 19th century.