Towcester Town Hall

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Towcester Town Hall
Towcester - geograph.org.uk - 344522.jpg
Towcester Town Hall
LocationWatling Street, Towcester
Coordinates52°07′55″N 0°59′18″W / 52.1319°N 0.9882°W / 52.1319; -0.9882Coordinates: 52°07′55″N 0°59′18″W / 52.1319°N 0.9882°W / 52.1319; -0.9882
Built1866
ArchitectT. H. Vernon
Architectural style(s)Italianate style
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameTown Hall
Designated19 August 1976
Reference no.1371643
Towcester Town Hall is located in Northamptonshire
Towcester Town Hall
Shown in Northamptonshire

Towcester Town Hall is a municipal building in Watling Street, Towcester, Northamptonshire, England. The town hall, which is the meeting place of Towcester Town Council, is a grade II listed building.[1]

History[]

After significant population growth during the early 19th century associated with the town's role as a coaching stop on Watling Street,[2] a turnpike road which had been paved by the engineer, Thomas Telford, local businessmen decided to form a company to develop a town hall and corn exchange: the site chosen was a prominent location in the market place which clearly defined its southern boundary.[3]

The foundation stone for the building was laid by the Earl of Pomfret, who lived at Easton Neston house, on 8 September 1865.[1] It was designed by T. H. Vernon in the Italianate style, built by J. Wheeler with ashlar stone and was completed in 1866.[4][5] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with three bays facing onto Chantry Lane; the central bay, which slightly projected forward, featured a round headed doorway flanked by pilasters and brackets supporting a stone parapet; there were two small rounded headed sash windows separated by a colonette and flanked by pilasters on the first floor and a carved pediment above.[1] The outer bays featured two large round headed sash windows separated by pilasters on the ground floor and three small rounded headed windows separated by colonettes on the first floor.[1] At roof level there was a clock tower with a copper-clad belfry.[1] The clock was made by Arthur Garrett of Towcester.[6] Internally, the principal room was the public hall.[1]

After further growth and improved connections following the opening of Towcester railway station in April 1866,[7] the area was designated a rural district in 1894.[8] The building continued to serve as the headquarters of the local rural district council for much of the 20th century[9] and remained the local seat of government after the enlarged South Northamptonshire Council was formed in 1974.[10][11]

After South Northamptonshire Council decided to relocate to modern and more substantial promises nearby, the town hall became the responsibility of the parish council in 1983.[12] The parish council was superseded by Towcester Town Council which established offices in the town hall and subsequently used the building as its meeting place.[13] Although the committee room on the ground floor was leased out to estate agents, Bartram & Co. in January 2018,[14] the public hall has continued to be used for concerts and community events.[15]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Historic England. "Town Hall (1371643)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  2. ^ Sunderland, John (1998). "The History of Towcester". Milton Keynes Heritage. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  3. ^ "Towcester: conservation area appraisal". South Northamptonshire Council. July 2012. p. 12. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  4. ^ Giggins, Brian (1 November 2019). "Towcester Guide". Towcester Town Council. p. 12. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  5. ^ The British Almanac. Knight & Co. 1867. p. 168.
  6. ^ The name of the clockmaker is visible just below the face of the clock
  7. ^ Jenkins, Stanley C. (1990). The Northampton & Banbury Junction Railway. Headington, Oxford: Oakwood Press. p. 18. ISBN 0-85361-390-7.
  8. ^ "Towcester RD". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  9. ^ "No. 45242". The London Gazette. 3 December 1970. p. 13238.
  10. ^ Local Government Act 1972. 1972 c.70. The Stationery Office Ltd. 1997. ISBN 0-10-547072-4.
  11. ^ "No. 46391". The London Gazette. 1 November 1974. p. 10525.
  12. ^ "Towcester Town in Drawings". Towcester and District Local History Society. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  13. ^ "Council Meeting Agenda" (PDF). Towcester Town Council. 13 January 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  14. ^ "Premises Committee Meeting Agenda" (PDF). Towcester Town Council. 15 January 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  15. ^ "Towcester Town Hall, with Towcester Choral Society and guests". Oxford Welsh Male Voice Choir. 7 July 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
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