Grassington Town Hall

Last updated

Grassington Town Hall
Grassington Town Hall - geograph.org.uk - 2658692.jpg
The building in 2011
LocationMain Street, Grassington
Coordinates 54°04′25″N1°59′46″W / 54.0737°N 1.9961°W / 54.0737; -1.9961
Built1855
Architectural style(s) Neoclassical style
North Yorkshire UK location map (2023).svg
Red pog.svg
Shown in North Yorkshire

Grassington Town Hall is a municipal building in Main Street, Grassington, a town in North Yorkshire, England. The complex is in three parts comprising the original building, a large assembly hall behind, and a theatre behind that. The complex is managed by the Grassington Devonshire Institute.

History

The building was commissioned by William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire, whose local seat was at Bolton Abbey as a mechanics' institute for the town in the mid-19th century. The site he selected was open land on the east side of the village. [1] It was designed in the neoclassical style, built in ashlar stone and was completed in 1855. The design involved an asymmetrical main frontage of four bays facing onto Main Street. The second bay from the left, which was slightly projected forward, was gabled and contained an octagonal clock face in the tympanum. All four bays were fenestrated by mullioned and transomed windows with the first floor windows taller than the ground floor windows. There were small porches with triangular rooves just to the right of the second bay and of the fourth bay. Internally, the principal rooms were a reading room and a concert room. [2]

Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire donated the building to the parish in 1896. [3] By 1923, the building was considered to be too small and in need of renovation. A major extension at the rear of the original building, stretching along Moor Lane, was erected at a cost more than £4,000. The extension incorporated a much larger assembly hall, which was 80 feet (24 m) long and 35 feet (11 m) wide and was equipped with a stage. After the works had been completed the enlarged complex was officially re-opened by the Marquess of Hartington on 23 August 2023. [2]

By 1931, the assembly hall was being used three nights a week as a cinema, [4] and, on other occasions, as a venue for concerts and theatrical performances, [5] [6] as well as for public meetings: the inquest into the 1925 Dibbles Bridge coach crash in which 7 people died and 11 were injured took place there in June 1925. [7]

A Charity, the Grassington Devonshire Institute, was established to manage the complex in 1960. In 1998, a new venue, the Octagon Theatre, was financed through the National Lottery and built on a site to the rear of the assembly hall. It was accessed along new corridors on either side of the assembly hall, and the main staircase was moved. [3] The complex was refurbished during summer 2020, with new lighting and curtains installed, and subsequently re-opened with live operatic recordings from the Royal Opera House. [8] In December 2023, the complex was awarded a £49,950 grant by the UK Government's Shared Prosperity Fund to replace part of the roof, install double glazing, and improve accessibility. [9] [10] [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway</span> Heritage railway in North Yorkshire, England

The Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway (E&BASR) is a heritage railway in North Yorkshire, England, formed in 1979 and opened in 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skipton</span> Town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Skipton is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the East Division of Staincliffe Wapentake in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal to the south of the Yorkshire Dales. It is situated 27 miles (43 km) north-west of Leeds and 38 miles (61 km) west of York. At the 2021 Census, the population was 14,623.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craven District</span> Former local government district in England

Craven was a non-metropolitan district in the west of North Yorkshire, centred on the market town of Skipton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Settle, North Yorkshire</span> Market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Settle is a market town and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town had a population of 2,421 in the 2001 census, increasing to 2,564 at the 2011 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melbourne Town Hall</span> Town hall in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Melbourne Town Hall, often referred to as simply Town Hall, is the administrative seat of the local municipality of the City of Melbourne and the primary offices of the Lord Mayor and city councillors of Melbourne. Located on the northeast corner of Swanston and Collins street in the central business district of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, the building was completed in 1887 and heritage listed on the Victorian Heritage Register in 1974. The building is frequently used for art and cultural events such as concerts, festivals, theatrical plays and exhibitions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Derby</span> University in Derby, United Kingdom

The University of Derby, formerly known as Derby College, is a public university in the city of Derby, England. It traces its history back to the establishment of the Derby Diocesan Institution for the Training of Schoolmistresses in 1851. It gained university status in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grassington</span> Village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Grassington is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The population of the parish at the 2011 Census was 1,126. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and now in the lieutenancy area of North Yorkshire, the village is situated in Wharfedale, about 8 miles (10 km) north-west from Bolton Abbey, and is surrounded by limestone scenery. Nearby villages include Linton, Threshfield, Hebden, Conistone and Kilnsey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy Taylor Brewery</span> Brewery in Keighley, West Yorkshire, England

Timothy Taylor's is a family-owned regional brewery, founded in 1858 by Timothy Taylor, in Keighley, West Yorkshire, England. Timothy Taylor's moved to larger premises in 1863 at Knowle Spring in Keighley, where they remain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airton</span> Village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Airton is a small village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, situated 10 miles (16 km) north-west of Skipton. The village had a population of 175 according to the 2001 Census, 228 at the 2011 Census, decreasing to 227 at the 2021 Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hebden, North Yorkshire</span> Village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Hebden is a village and civil parish in the Craven District of North Yorkshire, England, and one of four villages in the ecclesiastical parish of Linton. It lies near Grimwith Reservoir and Grassington, in Wharfedale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. In 2011 it had a population of 246.

Threshfield is a small village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England with a population of 980 residents, reducing to 968 at the 2011 census. It borders Grassington, Linton Falls, and Skirethorns. Nearby villages are Linton, Cracoe, Rylstone, Hetton, Hebden, Kilnsey, and Greenhow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steeton, West Yorkshire</span> Village in West Yorkshire, England

Steeton is a village in the City of Bradford metropolitan borough, West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated approximately 5 miles (8 km) south-east from Skipton, 3 miles (5 km) north-west from Keighley and just south of the A629 road. The village is part of Steeton with Eastburn civil parish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wharfedale Brewery</span> Brewery in Ilkley, England

Wharfedale Brewery is a brewery situated in Ilkley in Wharfedale, West Yorkshire, England, on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Two, now defunct, breweries in Yorkshire have previously used the Wharfedale name; first in Wetherby in the 1756 and again in Grassington in 2003. The name was resurrected for a third time, further down the River Wharfe, in 2012 by a group of 16 real ale enthusiasts, many of whom are former chairmen of Ilkley & District Round Table.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skipton Town Hall</span> Municipal building in Skipton, North Yorkshire, England

Skipton Town Hall is the town hall of Skipton, North Yorkshire. It is located on the town's High Street and is home to Craven Museum & Gallery as well as a Concert Hall with events and performance programme and Skipton Tourist Information Centre. Skipton Town Council also reside in the Victorian building, which is Grade II listed.

Robert William Harker is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for FC Halifax Town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linton Falls Hydro</span> Hydro-electric plant on the River Wharfe, England

Linton Falls Hydro is a hydroelectric generating power station located on the Linton Falls Weir of the River Wharfe, near Grassington, North Yorkshire, England. The power station is located on the same site as a hydroelectric scheme that was first opened in 1909, but had closed by 1948. The new scheme, which opened in March 2012, uses the original building which is now a scheduled monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lady Anne's Way</span> Long-distance path in Northern England

Lady Anne's Way is a 100-mile (160 km) hiking route between Skipton and Penrith in Northern England. The trail is punctuated by houses and towers once owned by the Clifford family, but is named after Lady Anne Clifford who renovated and repaired the buildings in the 17th century. The route goes through Grassington, Buckden, Askrigg, Garsdale Head, Kirkby Stephen, Great Ormside, Appleby-in-Westmorland and Penrith.

<i>All Creatures Great and Small</i> (2020 TV series) British television series

All Creatures Great and Small is a television series, set in Northern England starting in 1937, based upon a series of books about a Yorkshire veterinary surgeon written by Alf Wight under the pen name of James Herriot. The series was produced by Playground Entertainment for Channel 5 in the United Kingdom and PBS in the United States.

References

  1. ↑ "Ordnance Survey Map". 1914. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Grassington's New Town Hall – the build up". Craven Herald. 17 August 1923. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  3. 1 2 "About us". Grassington Devonshire Institute. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  4. ↑ "Town Hall Cinema". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  5. ↑ Early Music Review Issues 37–46. King's Music. 1998. p. 9.
  6. ↑ The Amateur Theatre and Playwrights' Journal. Vol. 4. Samuel Temple & Company. 1937. p. 88.
  7. ↑ Jones, Richard M. (2021). Britain's Lost Tragedies Uncovered. The History Press. ISBN   978-0750998390.
  8. ↑ "Grassington Town Hall reopens with an exciting programme of live recordings from the Royal Opera House". Craven Herald. 10 October 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  9. ↑ "Delight as Grassington Town Hall gets £50,000 funding". Craven Herald. 22 December 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  10. ↑ "Funding of almost £50,000 to transform town hall". North Yorkshire Council. 18 January 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  11. ↑ "North Yorkshire community groups urged to apply for funding". Hambleton Today. 25 December 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
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.