Old Town Hall, Handsworth

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Old Town Hall, Handsworth
Handsworth Slack Lane.JPG
The building in 2013, while under repair
LocationSlack Lane, Handsworth
Coordinates 52°30′52″N1°56′08″W / 52.5145°N 1.9355°W / 52.5145; -1.9355
Built1460
Architectural style(s) Medieval style
Listed Building – Grade II
Official name51, College Road B20, 20, Slack Lane B20
Designated24 September 1972
Reference no.1075634
West Midlands UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Shown in West Midlands

The Old Town Hall is a historic building on the corner of College Road and Slack Lane in Handsworth, West Midlands, a suburb of Birmingham in England. The building, part of which is currently used as the headquarters of the Handsworth Historical Society, is a Grade II listed building. [1]

Contents

History

The building was commissioned as a private house in the mid-15th century. It was designed in the medieval style, built using cruck-framed construction techniques and was completed about 1460. [2]

In 1625, it was divided into three cottages, with a floor inserted in the building's hall, and the walls infilled with brick. Part of the building accommodated the Overseer of the Parish, who was in charge of local administration and, being in an area known as "Town End", it became known as the Town Hall. During the early part of the 18th century the overseer was a James Underhill and he was succeeded by a Jeremiah Needham. [3] [4] By the 19th century, the overseer of the parish was, among other matters, responsible for the maintenance of the village green. [5] The building was also used as a courthouse and was the local venue for hearings of the assizes. [6]

Following significant population growth, largely associated with steam engine manufacturing at Soho Foundry, an urban sanitary authority was formed in Handsworth in 1874. [7] [8] [9] The board commissioned the Council House on Soho Road and, after it was completed two years later, the old town hall had no further role in the administration of the area. [10] In any case, the board's successor body, Handsworth Urban District Council, which was appointed in 1894, [11] was wound up when the area was annexed by Birmingham City Council in 1911. [12]

In the 1930s, other similar cottages and barns in the area were cleared but, following a campaign by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Sir Ernest Robert Canning, in 1933, [13] the old town hall survived, and in 1947 it was acquired by the Birmingham Archaeological Society which restored it, redivided into two, larger, cottages, and donated it to Birmingham City Council. [14] [15]

In 1973, the Handsworth Historical Society began using one of the cottages as its headquarters and as a local history museum. The other cottage continued to be rented out to a council tenant. [4]

Architecture

The cruck-framed building has brick infill between the wood, and a tiled roof. It has a single main storey and an attic, and two entrance doors. There are five casement windows on the ground floor, three large and two small, and four gabled dormer windows in the attic. It has been grade II listed since 1972. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 Historic England. "51, College Road B20, 20, Slack Lane B20 (1075634)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  2. ↑ "Medieval Birmingham: 11 photos of the oldest buildings still standing today in chronological order". Birmingham World. 27 April 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  3. ↑ "Birmingham Hidden Gems: The secrets of Handsworth Old Town Hall". Birmingham World. 29 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  4. 1 2 "Handsworth Old Town Hall". Handsworth Historical Society. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  5. ↑ "Section 12, Inclosure Act 1857". Legislation.co.uk. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  6. ↑ "A fascinating historical city asset; Recognised 80 years ago for its now 550-yearold architectural qualities, the historic Handsworth Town Hall is opening its doors again today". Birmingham Mail. 14 September 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  7. ↑ "'The Growth of the City', in A History of the County of Warwick, Volume 7, the City of Birmingham". London: British History Online. 1964. pp. 4–25. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  8. ↑ "Catalogue of the Reference Library, Birmingham". 1918. p. 464. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  9. ↑ Appointment Vacant. The Architect. 11 August 1877. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  10. ↑ Historic England. "Public Library, Handsworth Council House and Job Preparation Unit (1221174)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  11. ↑ "Handsworth UD". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  12. ↑ Chinn, Carl Steven Alfred (1986). "The Anatomy of a Working Class Neighbourhood: West Sparkbrook 1871 to 1914" (PDF). University of Birmingham. p. 2. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  13. ↑ "Handsworth Historical Society celebrates 70 years". Handsworth Historical Society. 16 February 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  14. ↑ "Handsworth Old Town Hall". Birmingham Heritage Forum. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  15. ↑ Dargue, William. "A History of Birmingham: Handsworth" . Retrieved 30 April 2024.
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