| Bridport Town Hall | |
|---|---|
 Town Hall viewed from West Street, 2009 | |
| Location | South Street, Bridport, Dorset |
| Coordinates | 50°44′00″N2°45′30″W / 50.7334°N 2.7582°W Coordinates: 50°44′00″N2°45′30″W / 50.7334°N 2.7582°W |
| Built | 1786 |
| Architect | William Tyler RA |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
| Designated | 28 November 1950 |
| Reference no. | 1227851 |
  Shown in Dorset | |
Bridport Town Hall is an 18th-century town hall on South Street in Bridport, Dorset, England. It is a Grade I listed building. [1]
The site selected for the town hall had previously been occupied by the Chapel of St Andrew, which was built for Carmelite Friars some time before 1268. [2] The town hall was designed by architect William Tyler RA, a founding member of the Royal Academy and built by James Mason at a cost of £3,000 between 1785 and 1786. [3]
The clock tower with cupola and weather vane was paid for by Sir Evan Nepean and was added to the building around 1805; [2] that year a chiming clock with four seven-foot dials was installed by Handley & Moore of Clerkenwell. [4] The two-storey, brick building was built in a T-shape, with the stem of the T pointing south. The ground floor was originally an arcaded open market, while the first floor housed the council chamber. The main front, facing north onto East Street, was given five bays of arcading. [3] Its central three bays are of projecting rusticated ashlar, surmounted by the sculpted Bridport coat of arms, a Venetian window and a pediment. [1] On the inside the upper floor was supported by ten octagon-shaped ship's masts. [5] The clock tower was renewed in 1825. [3]
A new clock mechanism was installed in 1919 by John Smith of Derby, and the bells were recast in 1928. [6] In 1925, the interior of town hall was redecorated to a design by Francis Newbery, who had been brought up in Bridport, had worked as a school teacher in the town and had subsequently become the Director of the Glasgow School of Art. [7] The decoration included a mural of panels depicting (from left to right) weaving, spinning, a female figure representing the town, yarn processing and net braiding. [8] [9] Newbery also presented several important paintings to the local council including one depicting Joan of Navarre, Second Wife of King Henry IV, entering Bridport in January 1403 and another depicting King Charles II's escape from Bridport after the Battle of Worcester in September 1651. [10] [11]
The town hall became the headquarters of Bridport Municipal Borough Council but ceased to be the local seat of government when the enlarged West Dorset Council was formed in 1974. [5] In 2011 work started on the refurbishment of the building to a design by Jonathan Rhind Architects with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund; improvements included a new lift, new heating and restoration work on the original structural system supporting the upper floor. [5] [12] The work was carried out by Farnrise Construction at a cost of £1.4 million and the building officially re-opened in January 2012. [13] External works, including re-painting of windows and re-pointing of brickwork, were carried out in May 2020. [14]
Bridport is a market town in Dorset, England, 2 miles (3.2 km) inland from the English Channel near the confluence of the River Brit and its tributary the Asker. Its origins are Saxon and it has a long history as a rope-making centre. On the coast and within the town's boundary is West Bay, a small fishing harbour also known as Bridport Harbour.
Liverpool Town Hall stands in High Street at its junction with Dale Street, Castle Street, and Water Street in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and described in the list as "one of the finest surviving 18th-century town halls". The authors of the Buildings of England series refer to its "magnificent scale", and consider it to be "probably the grandest ...suite of civic rooms in the country", and "an outstanding and complete example of late Georgian decoration".
The Sydney Town Hall is a late 19th-century heritage-listed town hall building in the city of Sydney, the capital city of New South Wales, Australia, housing the chambers of the Lord Mayor of Sydney, council offices, and venues for meetings and functions. It is located at 483 George Street, in the Sydney central business district opposite the Queen Victoria Building and alongside St Andrew's Cathedral. Sited above the Town Hall station and between the city shopping and entertainment precincts, the steps of the Town Hall are a popular meeting place.
Northampton Guildhall is a municipal building in St Giles' Square in Northampton, England. It is a Grade II* listed building.
Barrow-in-Furness Town Hall is a Gothic Revival style municipal building in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. The building, which served as the headquarters of the former Barrow Borough Council, lies within a Conservation Area with Grade II* listed status.
Francis Henry Newbery or Fra Newbery was a painter and art educationist, best known as director of the Glasgow School of Art between 1885 and 1917. Under his leadership the School developed an international reputation and was associated with the flourishing of Glasgow Style and the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his circle. Newbery helped commission Mackintosh as architect for the now famous School of Art building and was actively involved in its design.
Lancaster City Museum is a museum in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. It is housed in the former Lancaster Town Hall building in Market Square.
Hammersmith Town Hall is a municipal building on King Street in Hammersmith. The town hall, which is the headquarters of Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Glossop Town Hall, Market Hall, and Municipal Buildings is a complex in the centre of Glossop, Derbyshire, providing offices for High Peak Borough Council, a retail arcade, and covered market. The Town Hall was constructed in 1838 and significantly extended and altered in 1845, 1897 and 1923. The Town Hall building was designed by Weightman and Hadfield of Sheffield for the 12th Duke of Norfolk. It is constructed from millstone grit ashlar and topped with a distinctive circular cupola and clock. It is Grade II listed, forming a group with the market and Municipal Buildings to the south, and rows of shops to High Street West either side which were also part of Hadfield's design, and which marked the transition of Howard Town from a satellite industrial village to a freestanding urban entity.
Wandsworth Town Hall is a municipal building on the corner of Wandsworth High Street and Fairfield Street in Wandsworth, London. The building, which is the headquarters of Wandsworth London Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Colchester Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street in Colchester, Essex, England. The town hall, which is the headquarters of Colchester Borough Council, is a Grade I listed building.
Banbury Town Hall is a municipal facility in the High Street in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Banbury Borough Council from its completion in 1854 until 1930, is a Grade II listed building.
The Town Hall, Christchurch is a municipal building in Christchurch, Dorset, England. The building, which incorporates a room known as the mayor's parlour on the first floor, and is a Grade II listed building. It is currently the base of Christchurch Town Council.
Shaftesbury Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street, Shaftesbury, Dorset, England. The town hall, which is the meeting place of Shaftsbury Town Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Ryde Town Hall is a municipal structure in Lind Street in Ryde, Isle of Wight, England. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Ryde Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Godalming Borough Hall is a municipal building in Bridge Street in Godalming, England. The building is the meeting place of Godalming Town Council.
The Municipal Buildings are based on the north side of High East Street in Dorchester, Dorset, England. The structure, which was the headquarters of Dorchester Borough Council, is a Grade II* listed building.
Faversham Guildhall is a municipal building in the Market Place in Faversham, Kent, England. The structure, which was the meeting place of Faversham Borough Council, is a Grade II* listed building.
The Municipal Buildings are based in Corn Exchange Road, Stirling, Scotland. The structure, which was the meeting place of Stirling Burgh Council, is a Category B listed building.
Brackley Town Hall is a municipal structure in the Market Place, Brackley, Northamptonshire, England. The structure, which serves as the meeting place of Brackley Town Council, is a Grade II* listed building.
