Widnes Town Hall

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Widnes Town Hall
Widnes Town Hall 1.jpg
Widnes Town Hall
Location Widnes
Coordinates 53°21′43″N2°43′54″W / 53.3619°N 2.7318°W / 53.3619; -2.7318
Built1885
ArchitectF. and G. Holme
Architectural style(s) Renaissance style
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameWidnes Town Hall
Designated31 October 1983
Reference no.1330355
Cheshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Shown in Cheshire

Widnes Town Hall is a municipal building in Victoria Road in Widnes, Cheshire, England. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Widnes Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building. [1]

Contents

History

After significant industrial growth in the second half of the 19th century, particularly in relation to the chemical industry, members of the local board of health decided to procure a town hall: the site they selected had been open land in what was then little more than a village established close to the Gossage chemical works. [2]

The new building, which was designed by F. and G. Holme in the Renaissance style and built with terracotta dressings, was completed in 1885. [1] After the building became the headquarters of the new municipal borough of Widnes in 1892, [3] [4] King George V visited the building and met with civic leaders on 7 July 1913. [5] The building ceased to be the seat of local government in 1967, when the council moved to the new Municipal Building on Kingsway. [6]

In 1982 the building became the home of the Halton Chemical Industry Museum, a temporary exhibition funded by the Manpower Services Commission to celebrate the centenary of the Society of Chemical Industry. [7] As well as chemical industry exhibits, there were also displays dealing with other aspects of local history. [8] The success of the exhibition led to the formation of the Museum of the Chemical Industry (subsequently renamed the Catalyst Science Discovery Centre) at Gossage House in Widnes in 1989. [9] The town hall then became the home of the Halton Business Forum, a provider of support to local businesses. [10] The forum also relocated, in around 2004, to the new Forum Building at Widnes Waterfront, which had been established as the Borough's economic development zone. [11] [12]

The town hall was then left empty and deteriorating, [13] until a developer, Stephen Lawler, acquired the building, and carried out some limited restoration works. [14] Although the rear of the ground floor and the whole of the first floor were left undeveloped and unoccupied, [15] the front part of the ground floor re-opened as a bar and night club known as "The Establishment". [16]

Description

The building is in the Renaissance style, with terracotta dressings. The design involves a symmetrical main frontage with nine bays facing onto Victoria Square with the end bays slightly projecting forward; the central bay, which also slightly projects forward, features a doorway with brackets supporting an open pediment containing a carved tympanum. [1] The doorway is flanked by twin pilasters supporting griffins bearing shields; there is a central sash window on the first floor and a smaller sash window on the attic floor, above which there is an inscription "MDCCCLXXXV" (1885). [1]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Historic England. "Widnes Town Hall (1330355)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  2. ↑ "Ordnance Survey Map". 1949. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  3. ↑ Farrer, William; Brownbill, J. (1907). "'Townships: Widnes', in A History of the County of Lancaster". London: British History Online. pp. 386–392. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  4. ↑ Whimperley, Arthur (1991). Widnes Through the Ages. Halton Borough Council. p. 125.
  5. ↑ "Visit of King George V to Widnes". Halton Picture Archive. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  6. ↑ "'Glass Palace' opens its doors". Widnes Weekly News and District Reporter. 13 October 1967. p. 19. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  7. ↑ Emsley, John (19 August 1989). "The wonderful world of Widnes: Catalyst, the museum of the chemicals industry, Widnes, Cheshire". New Scientist . Reed Business Information . Retrieved 8 August 2015. Google Books
  8. ↑ "Catalyst 2008 Acquisition & Disposal Policy". Catalyst. Archived from the original on 15 August 2009.
  9. ↑ James, Tony (15 August 1992). "Review: Catalyst loses its modesty and comes of age". New Scientist . Reed Business Information . Retrieved 23 March 2008.
  10. ↑ "Facelift takes shape". Warrington Guardian. 8 May 2002. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  11. ↑ "Halton Business Forum" (PDF). BE Group. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  12. ↑ "Halton: Gateway to Prosperity: A new economic tourism development strategy for Halton 2005-2008" (PDF). Halton Borough Council. 1 February 2005. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  13. ↑ "Work starts on Widnes Town Hall revamp". Insider Media. 24 November 2008. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  14. ↑ "Former Widnes Town Hall converted into a restaurant, bar, coffee lounge and boutique hotel". Runcorn and Widnes World. 2 December 2009. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  15. ↑ "Section of Widnes town centre listed building due to become office space". 22 February 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  16. ↑ "Three men arrested after nightclub dancefloor assault leaves man "fighting for life"". Liverpool Echo. 27 December 2018. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
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