Old Town Hall, Broughton-in-Furness

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Old Town Hall
The Town Hall, Broughton-in-Furness - geograph.org.uk - 51182.jpg
The building in 2004
LocationThe Square, Broughton-in-Furness
Coordinates 54°16′39″N3°12′42″W / 54.2776°N 3.2116°W / 54.2776; -3.2116
Built1766
Architectural style(s) Italianate style
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameMarket Hall
Designated5 March 1990
Reference no.1138235
Cumbria UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Shown in Cumbria

The Old Town Hall is a municipal building in The Square, Broughton-in-Furness, a town in Cumbria, England. The building, which currently accommodates a tourist information centre and a shop, is a Grade II listed building. [1]

Contents

History

The building was commissioned as a market hall by the lord of the manor, John Gilpin Sawrey, whose seat was at Broughton Tower c.0.3 miles (0.48 km) to the northeast of the centre of the town. [2] [3] The building formed part of a grander scheme by Sawrey to lay out a market square for the town. His vision was to create a square that recalled the great squares of London, and the market hall, on the south side of the proposed square, was the first step in implementing that plan. [4] The scheme was seen as very successful: the architectural historian, Nikolaus Pevsner, has described the square with its trees as "handsome". [5]

The building was designed in the Italianate style, built in brick with a cement render finish and was completed in 1766. [6] The design involved a main frontage of seven bays facing onto The Square. It was arcaded so that markets could be held, with an assembly hall on the first floor. [4]

The use of the building as a market hall declined significantly in the wake of the Great depression of British agriculture in the late 19th century. [7] In the early 20th century, the building remained in the ownership of the Broughton Tower Estate. [8] However, lock-up shops were established on the ground floor [9] and the assembly hall on the first floor was increasingly used for social events such as dances. [10] Ownership of the building became vested in the trustees of the "Broughton Reading and Recreation Rooms". [11]

Later on the uses changed again and a tourist information centre was established on the ground floor, [12] while an antiques shop was accommodated on the first floor. [13] The clock was the subject of an 18-month refurbishment programme which was completed in 2007. [11]

Architecture

The town hall is a two-storey stone building, with a slate roof. The ground floor has a seven-bay arcade with architraves and keystones, since infilled with entrances and glazing, while the first floor has four sets of paired round-headed windows. There is a central clock, and a bell turret, topped by a weathervane depicting figures from a hunt. [1] The clock was designed and manufactured by a local clockmaker, William Shepherd, and requires winding twice a week by a local volunteer. [4] The building was grade II listed in 1990. [1]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Historic England. "Market Hall (1138235)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  2. ↑ Farrer, William; Brownbill, J. (1914). "'Townships: Broughton ', in A History of the County of Lancaster". London: British History Online. pp. 400–406. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  3. ↑ Publications of the Surtees Society. Vol. 50. The Surtees Society. 1867. p. 144.
  4. 1 2 3 "Broughton-in-Furness: A Walk into the Past" (PDF). The Duddon Valley Local History Group. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  5. ↑ Pevsner, Nikolaus (2002). Lancashire 2: The Rural North (Buildings of England Series). Yale University Press. p. 78. ISBN   978-0300096170.
  6. ↑ Parker, John (1984). The Lake District. Sidgwick & Jackson. p. 49. ISBN   978-0283990878.
  7. ↑ Fletcher, T. W. (1973). 'The Great Depression of English Agriculture 1873-1896' in British Agriculture 1875-1914. London: Methuen. p. 31. ISBN   978-1136581182.
  8. ↑ "The Broughton Tower Estate, Broughton-in-Furness, Lancashire". National Archives. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  9. ↑ "Broughton in Furness". Visitor UK. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  10. ↑ Murfin, Lyn (1990). Popular Leisure in the Lake Counties. Manchester University Press. p. 49. ISBN   978-0719030017.
  11. 1 2 "Nostalgia: See the pictures which roll back the years in Broughton". North West England Mail. 25 July 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  12. ↑ "Broughton-in-Furness". Visit Cumbria. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  13. ↑ "Broughton Curios". Antiques Atlas. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
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