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Chorley Town Hall is a municipal building in Market Street in Chorley, Lancashire, England.

History

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]

References