Hartlepool Borough Hall is municipal building, which served as the meeting place of the old Hartlepool Borough Council, before it amalgamated with West Hartlepool County Borough Council. It is located on the Headland, Hartlepool in County Durham, England and is a Grade II listed building.[1]
| Hartlepool Borough Hall | |
|---|---|
 The build from Croft Gardens | |
| Location | Middlegate, Headland, Hartlepool |
| Coordinates | 54°41′46″N 1°11′01″W / 54.6962°N 1.1835°W |
| Area | Borough of Hartlepool |
| Built | 1866 |
| Architect | Charles J. Adams |
| Architectural style(s) | Italianate style |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Official name | Borough Buildings and Borough Hall, Middlegate |
| Designated | 17 December 1985 |
| Reference no. | 1263357 |
  Shown in County Durham | |
History
editHartlepool was an ancient borough, having been given a charter by King John in 1200.[2][3] It was reformed to become a municipal borough in 1850.[4][5]
A few years later the council decided to commission a new market hall which could also serve as their headquarters: the site they chose was a street known as Johnny's Close.[6]
The foundation stone for the new building was laid on 10 August 1865.[7] It was designed by Charles J. Adams in the Italianate style, built in red brick with stone dressings at a cost of £5,000 and was officially opened by the mayor, James Groves, on 4 October 1866.[8][9] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with eleven bays facing onto Middlegate; the central bay featured a three-stage tower with a wide arched opening on the ground floor, two short lancet windows and a medallion containing the borough coat of arms on the first floor and two tall lancet windows on the second floor. The tower was surmounted by a pyramid-shaped roof, a square lantern and a spire. The wings contained doorways with fanlights in the third bays from each end. The other bays in the wings were fenestrated, on the ground floor, with round headed windows and, on the first floor, with two-light round headed windows with colonettes separating the lights and with ornate carvings in the spandrels.[1] Internally, the building accommodated a market hall, a courtroom, a police station and offices for the borough officials.[8] There also were lock-up cells for petty criminals in the rear block.[1]
In 1926, the market hall was converted into a dance hall and re-decorated in an Art Deco style with a proscenium arch.[1] A dedicated council chamber was also established in the building at that time.[10] The building continued to serve as the headquarters of the old Hartlepool Borough Council until 1967, when the council amalgamated with West Hartlepool Borough Council, with the enlarged council based at the old West Hartlepool headquarters at the Municipal Buildings in Church Square.[11][12]
The borough hall subsequently became an events venue and notable performers have included the singer Morrissey, who appeared there in May 2009.[13] The BBC television programme, Question Time, was also broadcast from the borough hall in October 2016.[14]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Historic England. "Borough Buildings and Borough Hall, Middlegate (1263357)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ Surtees, Robert (1823). The History and Antiquities of the County Palatine of Durham: Volume 3. London: Nichols and Son. pp. 99–120. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ Report of the Commissioners Appointed to Inquire into the Municipal Corporations in England and Wales: Appendix 3. 1835. p. 1531. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ "Harlepool CB/MB". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ Sharp, Sir Cuthbert (1851). A history of Hartlepool. Reprinted with a supplementary history to 1851 inclusive. John Proctor. p. 76.
- ^ "Borough Buildings". Hartlepool History Then and Now. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ Richmond, Thomas (1868). "The Local Records of Stockton and the Neighbourhood: Or, a Register of Memorable Events". William Robinson. p. 277.
- ^ a b "The Town Hall, Hartlepool". The Illustrated London News. 10 October 1866. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ "Country News". Illustrated London News. 13 October 1866. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ "A fresh vision for Hartlepool Borough Hall". Teesside Live. 6 March 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ "Local Government Boundaries (Hartlepool)". House of Commons Debates. 7 February 1967. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ "Hartlepool Order 1966". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 8 February 1967. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ "Morrissey to play Middlesbrough Town Hall". Teesside Live. 13 May 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ "How to grab a seat in the Question Time audience as show heads to Hartlepool". Teesside Live. 6 November 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2021.