Dawley Town Hall

Last updated

Dawley Town Hall is an events venue in New Street in Dawley, a settlement in Shropshire, in England.

Contents

History

The venue was commissioned as a temperance hall for the International Organisation of Good Templars. Their aim was to encourage abstinence from alcohol within the local mining community, and they formed a company to finance and commission the building. The site they selected was an elevated point in Dawley known as Dun Cow Bank. [1]

The foundation stone for the new building was laid by the Rector of Church Tilton in Cheshire, the Reverend William Bishton Garnett-Botfield of Decker Hill, on 13 October 1873. [2] [3] It was designed by a Mr Patterson of Wellington in the Gothic Revival style, built by Rowland Smitheman of Broseley in brick with a stucco finish at a cost of £900, and was probably completed sometime in 1874. The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of three bays facing onto New Street. The central bay featured a round headed doorway with grey brick quoins on the ground floor, and three tall round headed windows on the first floor. The outer bays were also fenestrated by tall round headed windows. There was a gable above which was modillioned and contained a date stone above the central bay. Internally, the principal room was the main hall which was 60 feet (18 m) long and 40 feet (12 m) wide. There was a gallery at the east end and a stage, suitable for an orchestra, at the west end. [4]

The building hosted a variety of events, and in 1900 showed its first film. In 1913, it became the Royal Windsor Variety and Picture Palace, but this closed before the end of the First World War. The venue then became a theatre, before it was acquired by Dawley Urban District Council, which let it out for a wide variety of events. [5] [6] After the Second World War, these included both Catholic and non-conformist church services. [5] In November 1962, it hosted the public enquiry into plans for Dawley New Town, which were later realised as Telford. [7]

In 2002, the hall became the home of an amateur dramatics group, the Telford Stage School. The school moved out in 2010, [8] following which, the building was refurbished at a cost of £150,000. [9] [10] Following completion of the works, the building reopened and was made available for local groups so that they could host events. [11] [12] In August 2015, an event was held at the town hall to celebrate the life of the local swimmer, Matthew Webb, who was the first recorded person to swim the English Channel for sport without the use of artificial aids. [13]

The town hall annex, immediately to the north of the main building was reopened as a community meeting room, known as Randle House in memory of a former mayor, Malcolm Randle, in February 2022. [14] [15] In November 2023, Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, visited the town hall and met with civic leaders and members of the local branch of the Royal British Legion and unveiled a plaque commemorating the 150th anniversary of the building. [16] [17] [18]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shropshire</span> County of England

Shropshire is a ceremonial county in the West Midlands of England, on the Welsh border. It is bordered by Wrexham County Borough and Cheshire to the north, Staffordshire to the east, Worcestershire to the south-east, Herefordshire to the south and Powys to the west. The largest settlement is Telford, and Shrewsbury is the county town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Webb</span> British swimmer (1848–1883)

Captain Matthew Webb was an English seaman, swimmer and stuntman. He is the first recorded person to swim the English Channel for sport without the use of artificial aids. In 1875, Webb swam from Dover to Calais in less than 22 hours. This made him a celebrity, and he performed many stunts in public. He died trying to swim the Niagara Gorge below Niagara Falls, a feat declared impossible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telford</span> Town in Shropshire, England

Telford is a town in Shropshire, England. It is the administrative centre of Telford and Wrekin borough, a unitary authority which covers the town, its suburbs and surrounding settlements. The town is close to the county's eastern boundary, and near the River Severn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newport, Shropshire</span> Human settlement in England

Newport is a market town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin in Shropshire, England. It lies 7 miles (11 km) north-east of Telford town centre, 12 miles (19 km) west of Stafford, and is near the Shropshire-Staffordshire border. The 2001 census recorded 10,814 people living in the town's parish, which rose to 11,387 by the 2011 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oswestry</span> Town in Shropshire, England

Oswestry is a market town, civil parish and historic railway town in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483 and A495 roads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telford and Wrekin</span> Borough in Shropshire, England

Telford and Wrekin is a borough and unitary authority in Shropshire, England. In 1974, a non-metropolitan district of Shropshire was created called The Wrekin, named after a prominent hill to the west of Telford. In 1998, the district became a unitary authority and was renamed "Telford and Wrekin", which remains part of the Shropshire ceremonial county and shares institutions such as the Fire and Rescue Service and Community Health with the rest the county.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wellington, Shropshire</span> Market town in Shropshire, England

Wellington is a constituent market town of Telford and a civil parish in the borough of Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire, England. It is situated 3 miles (4.8 km) north-west of Telford town centre and 12 miles (19 km) east of Shrewsbury; the summit of The Wrekin lies 3 miles south-west of the town. The population of the town was 25,554 in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Much Wenlock</span> Town and parish in Shropshire, England

Much Wenlock is a market town and parish in Shropshire, England; it is situated on the A458 road between Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth. Nearby, to the north-east, is the Ironbridge Gorge and Telford. The civil parish includes the villages of Homer, Wyke, Atterley, Stretton Westwood and Bourton. The population of the civil parish, according to the 2001 Census, was 2,605, increasing to 2,877 by 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blists Hill Victorian Town</span> Open-air museum in Telford

Blists Hill Victorian Town is an open-air museum built on a former industrial complex located in the Madeley area of Telford, Shropshire, England. The museum attempts to recreate the sights, sounds and smells of a Victorian Shropshire town in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is one of ten museums operated by the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dawley</span> Human settlement in England

Dawley is a constituent town of Telford and a civil parish in the borough of Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire, England. It was originally, in 1963, going to be the main centre of the 'Dawley New Town' plan before it was decided in 1968 to name the new town as 'Telford', after the engineer and road-builder Thomas Telford. Dawley now forms part of Telford whose town centre is north of Dawley itself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telford Steam Railway</span> Heritage railway in Shropshire, England

The Telford Steam Railway (TSR) is a heritage railway located at Horsehay, Telford in Shropshire, England, formed in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telford (UK Parliament constituency)</span>

Telford is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since May 2015 by Lucy Allan, a Conservative, who defeated David Wright, the former Labour Party MP for the seat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Wrekin (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1918 onwards

The Wrekin is a constituency in the House of Commons of the British Parliament, located in the county of Shropshire in the West Midlands of England. It has existed continuously since its creation by the Representation of the People Act 1918, and is named after a prominent landmark hill in the area, The Wrekin. It has been represented by the Labour and Conservative parties since the 1920s, a post held since 2005 by Conservative MP Mark Pritchard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madeley, Shropshire</span> Human settlement in England

Madeley is a constituent town of Telford and a civil parish in the borough of Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire, England. The parish had a population of 17,935 at the 2001 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horsehay</span> Human settlement in England

Horsehay is a suburban village on the western outskirts of Dawley, which, along with several other towns and villages, now forms part of the new town of Telford in Shropshire, England. Horsehay lies in the Dawley Hamlets parish, and on the northern edge of the Ironbridge Gorge area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stirchley, Shropshire</span> Human settlement in England

Stirchley is a large village and suburb of Telford, in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. Stirchley lies just south-east of the town centre, and shares a parish council with neighbouring Brookside, which together have a population of 10,533 according to the 2001 census data It is close to Dawley and Malinslee and located next to the southern side of Telford town park. Although formerly a farming parish, it was incorporated into the Telford New Town in the 1970s. There are some important heritage sites in the parish, notably St James Church, Stirchley Hall, Stirchley Grange and the Stirchley Chimney, now a local landmark. A number of Stirchley's heritage sites are waypoints on the South Telford Heritage Trail. The former school was removed brick-by-brick and rebuilt at the nearby Blists Hill Victorian Town museum in 1993.

The Telford Langley School is a coeducational secondary school with academy status, located in the Dawley area of Telford in Shropshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telford College</span> Further education college in Telford, Shropshire, England

Telford College is a further education college in Telford, Shropshire, England. It operates from one main site and many in-company training sites and community-based courses spread out across Shropshire and the whole of the United Kingdom. During 2017 the college improved its Ofsted rating to Grade 3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shrewsbury</span> County town of Shropshire, England

Shrewsbury is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, 150 miles (240 km) north-west of London. At the 2021 census, the parish had a population of 76,782.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telford Theatre</span> Events venue in Telford, Shropshire, England

Telford Theatre, formerly Oakengates Town Hall, is an events venue in Limes Walk in Oakengates, a part of the town of Telford, in Shropshire in England.

References

  1. ↑ "Ordnance Survey Map". 1900. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  2. ↑ Foundation stone for the building.
  3. ↑ Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles (1895). Armorial Families A Complete Peerage, Baronetage, and Knightage, and a Directory of Some Gentlemen of Coat-armour. T. C. and E. C. Jack. p. 402.
  4. ↑ Neal, Toby (11 October 2023). "Town hall celebrates 150 eventful years". Shropshire Star. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  5. 1 2 A History of the County of Shropshire: Volume 11, Telford. London: Victoria County History. 1985. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  6. ↑ "Temperance Hall built – later became town hall". Dawley Heritage. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  7. ↑ Dawley New Town. Vol. 121. The Surveyor & Municipal & County Engineer. 1962. p. 10. The Minister said that the purpose of the New Town would be to provide housing and employment for people from Birmingham and the Black Country – particularly Birmingham – and to relieve congestion in that area.
  8. ↑ "Telford Stage School in search of new home". BBC News. 4 March 2010. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  9. ↑ "Dawley town hall workers find treasures". Shropshire Star. 4 February 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  10. ↑ "£140k refit to reopen Dawley Town Hall". Shropshire Star. 16 February 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  11. ↑ "Dawley Town Hall looks beyond autumn opening". BBC News. 6 May 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  12. ↑ "Dawley Town Hall revamp scheme secures £50,000 grant". BBC News. 18 June 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  13. ↑ "Town celebrates achievements of intrepid swimmer Captain Webb". Shropshire Star. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  14. ↑ "Building opens as tribute to former Dawley mayor Malcolm Randle". Shropshire Star. 2 February 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  15. ↑ "A Bostin' Tribute to Former Great Dawley Mayor". Teldord Live. 13 October 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  16. ↑ "His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh visited Telford this week". Telford and Wrekin District Council. 9 November 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  17. ↑ "Duke of Edinburgh praises mental health charity for work with veterans on visit to Telford". Shropshire Star. 8 November 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  18. ↑ "Duke of Edinburgh pays Remembrance visit". BBC News. 8 November 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2024.

52°39′46″N2°28′00″W / 52.6627°N 2.4667°W / 52.6627; -2.4667

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.