| Oswaldtwistle Town Hall | |
|---|---|
 The building in 2009 | |
| Location | Union Road, Oswaldtwistle |
| Coordinates | 53°44′43″N2°23′38″W / 53.7453°N 2.3939°W |
| Built | 1891 |
| Architect | Robert Naisbitt Hunter |
| Architectural style(s) | Neoclassical style |
  Shown in Lancashire  Location in Borough of Hyndburn | |
Oswaldtwistle Town Hall is a municipal building in Union Road, Oswaldtwistle, a town in Lancashire, England. The building accommodated the Oswaldtwistle Civic Arts Centre until it closed in 2023.
Following its formation in 1869, [1] the Oswaldtwistle Local Board and Urban Sanitary Authority set about commissioning offices for the town's administration. The site they selected was on the east side of Union Road. [2]
The front section of the building was designed in the neoclassical style, built in rubble masonry and dated from that time. The design involved an asymmetrical main frontage of seven bays facing onto Union Road. The second and seventh bays were slightly projected forward and contained round headed doorways with semi-circular fanlights, archivolts and keystones, while the fifth bay contained a less ornate doorway with a hood mould. The main frontage was fenestrated by segmental headed sash windows with window sills and architraves. [3]
Following an initiative by the pastor of the John Street Chapel, the Rev. William Edmund Holt, a public hall was erected behind the original building by contractors, W. H. Bury and A. Dichmont, to a design by the town surveyor, Robert Naisbitt Hunter, in 1891. [4] It was intended to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria and accommodated a ballroom on the first floor. After the local board was succeeded by Oswaldtwistle Urban District Council in 1894, the entire complex became known as the town hall. From 1900, the building also housed the town's fire engine. [5]
The building was used by the War Office as a recruiting station for the Accrington Pals Battalion of the East Lancashire Regiment, a part of Kitchener's Army, which was raised in September 1914 at the outbreak of the First World war. [6]
The fire service relocated to a new fire station at the junction of Mill Hill and Union Road in the mid-20th century. [7] The complex continued to serve as the headquarters of the district council for much of the 20th century, [8] but ceased to be the local seat of government when the enlarged Hyndburn Borough Council was formed in 1974. [9] Following a rise in student numbers, Rhyddings High School held classes in the building in the late 1970s. [10] It was subsequently converted for use as the Oswaldtwistle Civic Theatre. [11]
In August 2010, the building was renovated, with a new arts centre downstairs and the theatre upstairs, managed separately. The venue was the original home of Jason Manford's comedy club, established in May 2014, [12] and the management of the arts centre was also responsible for reinstating the Oswaldtwistle Carnival, after a hiatus of 16 years, in June 2014. [13] The comedian, Peter Kay, gave a surprise performance in the building in July 2015, [14] and the musician, Paul Young, took part in a concert there in March 2023. [15]
However, by July 2023, the management company, Hyndburn Arts was unable to fund repairs, and the board of the company decided to close the building. [16] In September 2023, Hyndburn Borough Council took possession of it, [17] and, in January 2024, the council said it would look at options for re-opening it. [18]
Accrington is a town in the Hyndburn borough of Lancashire, England. It lies about 4 miles (6 km) east of Blackburn, 6 miles (10 km) west of Burnley, 13 miles (21 km) east of Preston, 20 miles (32 km) north of Manchester and is situated on the culverted River Hyndburn. Commonly abbreviated by locals to "Accy", the town has a population of 35,456 according to the 2011 census.
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Hyndburn is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire, England. Its council is based in Accrington, the largest town, and the borough also covers the outlying towns of Clayton-le-Moors, Great Harwood, Oswaldtwistle and Rishton. The borough was created in 1974 and takes its name from the River Hyndburn. It had a population of 80,734 at the 2011 Census. Elections to the council are held in three out of every four years, with one third of the 35 seats on the council being elected at each election. Both the Conservative and Labour parties have controlled the council at different times, as well as periods when no party has had a majority.
Clayton-le-Moors is an industrial town in the borough of Hyndburn in the county of Lancashire, England. located two miles north of Accrington. The town has a population of 8,522 according to the 2011 census.
Oswaldtwistle is a town in the Hyndburn borough of Lancashire, England, 3 miles (5 km) southeast of Blackburn, contiguous with Accrington and Church. The town has a rich industrial heritage, being home to James Hargreaves, inventor of the spinning jenny and Sir Robert Peel of calico printing fame. The Leeds and Liverpool Canal passes through the town and was responsible for the export of much of the area's cotton produce.
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Joseph Kenneth Hargreaves, MBE, FCIS, served as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Hyndburn in Lancashire between 1983 and 1992.
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Accrington was a parliamentary constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1983. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post system of election.
The Blackburn Bus Company operates both local and regional bus services in Greater Manchester and Lancashire, England. It is a subsidiary of Transdev Blazefield, which operates bus services across Greater Manchester, Lancashire, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire.
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Graham Peter Jones is a former British Labour Party politician, and former Member of Parliament (MP) for Hyndburn.
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Rhyddings is a mixed secondary school located in Oswaldtwistle in the English county of Lancashire. The current headteacher is Andrew Williams, who took over in September 2018.
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Sara Alice Britcliffe is a British Conservative Party politician, who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hyndburn since the general election of 2019. At the age of 24, she was the youngest Conservative MP elected in the election, and the first to represent the constituency since 1992.
A by-thirds Hyndburn Borough Council local election, was held on Thursday 6 May 2021. Approximately one third of the local council's 35 seats fall up for election on that day.
Accrington Town Hall is a municipal building in Blackburn Road, Accrington, Lancashire, England. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Accrington Borough Council, is a grade II* listed building.
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