| Chorley Town Hall | |
|---|---|
 Chorley Town Hall from St Laurence's churchyard | |
| Location | Chorley |
| Coordinates | 53°39′14″N2°38′00″W / 53.6540°N 2.6332°W |
| Built | 1879 |
| Architect | John Ladds and William Henry Powell |
| Architectural style(s) | Italianate style |
  Location in Lancashire  Location in Chorley Borough | |
Chorley Town Hall is a municipal building in Market Street in Chorley, Lancashire, England.
The first town hall, which was commissioned by a local mercer and philanthropist, John Hollinshead of Hollinshead Hall, was built on the east side of Market Street and completed in 1802. [1] [2] It accommodated the local public offices as well as the local lock-up. [1] After the first town hall became too cramped, civic leaders decided to procure a new town hall: the site they selected on the west side of Market Street had been occupied by the Gillibrand Arms Public House. [3] [4]
The new building, which was designed in the Italianate style by John Ladds and William Henry Powell, was completed in 1879. [5] [6] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with five bays facing onto Market Street with the end bays slightly projected forward; the central section, which also slightly projected forward, featured a doorway on the ground floor with brackets supporting a pediment containing a carved tympanum with a tall clock tower above (the clock and bells were by Gillett, Bland & Co.); there were sash windows on the first and second floors. The principal rooms were a large assembly hall, which later became known as the Lancastrian Room, the council chamber and town clerk's office. [7]
The town hall became the headquarters of the new Municipal Borough of Chorley in 1881. [1] In the early years the basement was used for a butter market and, in the early 20th century, the assembly room was used as a cinema. [8] Meanwhile the old town hall was demolished in the 1930s. [9] The building remained the local seat of government when the enlarged Borough of Chorley was formed in 1974. [10] In the 1980s, a control centre was established in the basement for the protection of civic leaders in the event of a nuclear attack. [9] Although most council officers and their departments relocated to the Civic Offices in Union Street in the late 20th century, [11] council meetings continued to be held in the town hall. [12]
An extensive programme of refurbishment works at the town hall was completed in 2005. [13] The works, which were designed by Seed Architects, involved re-instatement of the main entrance under the clock tower and the creation of a glass-roofed atrium with glass passenger lifts to facilitate easy movement of customers within the building. [14] After several incidents involving damage to facilities and abuse of staff, the Lancastrian Room ceased to be available for private hire in 2009. [15]
Chorley is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Chorley in Lancashire, England, 8 miles (13 km) north of Wigan, 11 miles (18 km) south west of Blackburn, 11 miles (18 km) north west of Bolton, 12 miles (19 km) south of Preston and 20 miles (32 km) north west of Manchester. The town's wealth came principally from the cotton industry.
The Borough of Chorley is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire, England. It covers the towns Adlington and Chorley. The borough also extends to several villages and hamlets including Buckshaw Village, Croston, Eccleston, Euxton and Whittle-le-Woods.
Liverpool Town Hall stands in High Street at its junction with Dale Street, Castle Street, and Water Street in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and described in the list as "one of the finest surviving 18th-century town halls". The authors of the Buildings of England series refer to its "magnificent scale", and consider it to be "probably the grandest ...suite of civic rooms in the country", and "an outstanding and complete example of late Georgian decoration".
Swinton and Pendlebury was a local government district of the administrative county of Lancashire, England. It was created in 1894 as an urban district and enlarged in 1934, gaining the status of a municipal borough.
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Preston Town Hall is a municipal building in Lancaster Road in Preston, Lancashire, England. The town hall, which is the headquarters of Preston City Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Darwen Town Hall is a municipal building in Croft Street, Darwen, Lancashire, England. It is the meeting place of Darwen Town Council.
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Dudley Council House is a municipal building in Priory Road, Dudley, West Midlands, England. The Council House, which is the meeting place of Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council is a Grade II listed building.
Garstang Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street in Garstang, Lancashire, England. The structure, which currently accommodates two shops and a Royal British Legion Club, is a Grade II listed building.
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