| The Old Town Hall | |
|---|---|
 The Old Town Hall | |
| Location | Swindon |
| Coordinates | 51°33′04″N1°46′23″W / 51.5512°N 1.7731°W |
| Built | 1854 |
| Architect | Sampson Sage and E Robertson |
| Architectural style(s) | Neoclassical style |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Designated | 2 October 1951 |
| Reference no. | 1023523 |
  Shown in Wiltshire | |
The Old Town Hall is a former municipal building of 1854 in the High Street, Swindon, Wiltshire, England. It is a Grade II listed building. [1]
Until the construction of the town hall on the High Street, the town council had met in the Goddard Arms on the High Street. [2] This small pub had been owned by the Goddard family since 1621 and was a small cottage alehouse known as the Crown until 1820. [2] The Goddard Arms was used for public meetings in the early 19th century and was used in this way by Ambrose Goddard to report progress on the Wilts & Berks Canal. [2]
The town hall was designed by Sampson Sage and E Robertson in the neoclassical style, built in ashlar stone by a local builder, George Major, [3] and was completed in 1854. [1] [4] The main frontage has five bays separated by full-height Tuscan order pilasters, with arched windows on the ground floor, casement windows on the first floor and a pediment and roof lantern above. [1]
The building was extended to the northeast with a tower, as well as accommodation for a corn exchange at ground floor level, to the designs of Wilson and Willcox of Bath in 1866. [1] A wine store was built on an adjoining site and its upper hall was used as a magistrates' court from 1871 to 1891. [2]
After civic functions transferred to the new town hall in 1891, the building became a roller skating rink in 1910, [5] and a cinema known as the Rink in 1919. After the Second World War it was refurbished and re-opened as the Locarno Dance Hall. [5] Performers at the dance hall included the singer, Cilla Black, in April 1964, [6] followed by the rock bands, The Yardbirds in July 1964, [7] The Who in October 1965 [8] and the Small Faces in November 1965. [9] The building subsequently served as a bingo hall but became vacant in the late 1970s. [10]
The building was acquired by bar owner, Gael Mackenzie, in 1999. [11] Major fires occurred in the building in May 2003 and again in May 2004. [10] In November 2016, Swindon council entered into a development agreement with Swindon Corn Exchange Limited, a business managed by housebuilder, Steve Rosier, under which Rosier agreed to pursue a development on the site. [12] However, after no progress was made with the development and the building continued to decay, the Victorian Society added the structure to its list of most endangered buildings in September 2019. [13] The council also threatened to use a compulsory purchase order to re-acquire the property in January 2020. [14] [15]
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