Old Town Hall, Altrincham
| Old Town Hall | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The old town hall of 1849: 'a handsome brick structure with rusticated stone-work facings'.[1] | |
| Location | Old Market Place, Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England |
| Coordinates | 53°23′22″N 2°21′02″W / 53.3894°N 2.3505°W |
| Built | 1849 |
| Architectural style(s) | Neoclassical style |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Official name | The Old Market Tavern |
| Designated | 12 July 1985 |
| Reference no. | 1067960 |
  Shown in Greater Manchester | |
The Old Town Hall is a municipal building in Old Market Place, Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. The town hall, which was the headquarters of the old borough of Altrincham, now forms part of a public house known as "Old Market Tavern", which is a grade II listed building.[2]
History
[edit]The first town hall in Altrincham was a two-storey, six-sided building dating from the 17th century, which formerly stood in the middle of Old Market Place. Also known as the Butter Market, it had been erected in 1684 by Lord Delamer, the lord of the manor: the lower storey was open and furnished with seats 'for the accommodation of parties bringing butter and other commodities to the market'.[1] The upper floor was used for meetings of the court leet and other civic gatherings. The building also contained the town lock-up, and nearby were a set of stocks.[3]
The second town hall was a small neoclassical style structure in the Old Market Place built in brick with white stucco and completed in 1849 (whereupon the old town hall was demolished).[4] It was commissioned by the Earl of Stamford, whose country seat was at Dunham Massey Hall, to serve as a town hall and market hall for the borough.[5] The original borough of Altrincham was administered by a court leet, which met in the council chamber on the first floor,[4] until it was abolished under the Municipal Corporations Act 1883.[6] The monthly Petty Sessions were also held here. The market hall was on the ground floor. The local volunteer fire brigade had space at the rear of the building where their manual fire engine was kept.[3]
The design of the old town hall involved a symmetrical main frontage with three bays facing onto the Old Market Place; the left hand bay contained a carriage entrance while the other two bays contained round headed windows. The central bay, which slightly projected forward, featured an oriel window on the first floor and a clock tower with a bellcote and a weather vane above.[2][7] The bell from the old Butter Market was installed in the bellcote and used to strike the hours: inscribed as having been cast in Little Budworth and given by Henry, Lord Delamer, in 1684, it was also used to sound an alarm in the event of a fire.[3]
Following significant industrial growth, particularly in the Broadheath area after the businessman, Benjamin Tilghman, established the town as the British hub of the sandblasting industry,[8] Altrincham became an urban district in 1895.[9] In this context, the new council decided to erect a new town hall in Market Street.[10] Subsequently, the Earl of Stamford sold the old town hall (together with the adjacent Unicorn Hotel) to Chester's Brewery Company.[3] The complex, later known as the "Old Market Tavern", was sold by Punch Taverns to an undisclosed buyer in 2017.[11]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Bagshaw, Samuel (1850). History, Gazetteer and Directory of the County Palatine of Chester. Sheffield: S. Bagshaw. p. 518.
- ^ a b Historic England. "The Old Market Tavern (1067960)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- ^ a b c d Nickson, Charles (1935). Bygone Altrincham: Traditions and History (PDF). Altrincham, Warrington & London: Mackie & Co. Limited. pp. 32–33. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- ^ a b "Altrincham Walk". This is Cheshire. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
- ^ "Couple snubbed by Victorian society are celebrated in old home". The Guardian. 23 February 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
- ^ Municipal Corporations Act 1883 (46 & 46 Vict. Ch. 18) (PDF). 1883. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
- ^ Hartwell, Clare; Hyde, Matthew; Hubbard, Edward; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2011) [1971], Cheshire, The Buildings of England, Yale University Press, p. 101, ISBN 978-0-300-17043-6
- ^ "Tilghman's Patent Sand Blast Co".
- ^ "Altrincham MB/UD". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
- ^ Bayliss, Don (2006). "A Town in Crisis: Altrincham in the Mid-Nineteenth Century" (PDF). p. 35.
- ^ Schouten, Charlie (20 November 2018). "Altrincham's Old Market Tavern sold". Place North West. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
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