The shire hall, which is the main office and the meeting place of Gloucestershire County Council, is a grade II listed building.

[1] The building was designed by Sir Robert Smirke for Gloucestershire magistrates in the Greek Revival style, built in ashlar stone and was opened in 1816.

[2] Substantial three-storey wings with canted corners, which were designed by the county surveyor, Matthew Henry Medland, were erected on either side of the existing frontage in 1911.

[9] An extensive programme of refurbishment works to the 1960s buildings, intended to create an open plan environment, together with re-cladding works, intended to make the facilities more energy efficient, was carried out by Kier Group, based on a design by Quattro Design Architects, and completed in late 2018.

[10][11][12] Works of art in the shire hall include a portrait of the former Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire, Henry Reynolds-Moreton, 3rd Earl of Ducie, by Alexander Glasgow (1840–1894).