SINCE the early years of the 20th Century one building has been at the core of local government in North Yorkshire.

Over the years, County Hall, in Northallerton, has seen politicians of all political hues come and go, but has stood largely unchanged itself.

Yesterday marked exactly 100 years since the laying of the foundation stone to mark the start of building work.

Designed by Walter Brierley, of York, it was completed three years later at a cost of about £40,000, including the price of the land.

Built of red brick with stone dressings, Brierley described the building as "quiet and dignified English Renaissance".

The terms "baroque" and "neo-William and Mary" have also been used to describe County Hall.

A hundred years ago the then chairman of the old North Riding County Council, John Hutton MP, laid the foundation stone of the building.

Yesterday the chairman of North Yorkshire County Council, Clifford Wilson, marked the anniversary by planting a tree in the grounds of the hall.

"It is a great honour for me as chairman to mark the centenary of County Hall in this way," he said.

"This building has served as the backbone of local government in North Yorkshire for the past 100 years and I hope it will continue to do so for many years in the future."

County Hall is the administrative headquarters for education, highways and transport, waste disposal, consumer protection, libraries and care for vulnerable children and adults, as well as financial, building and legal services.

More than 1,000 staff work on the ten-acre site, although the majority of the council's staff work in towns and communities across the county.