Old Town Hall, Tadcaster

The Old Town Hall, also known as 1 High Street, is a former municipal building and historic building in the High Street, Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, England. The structure, which now forms part of the headquarters of Samuel Smith's Brewery, is a grade II listed building.

History

After acquiring the Manor of Tadcaster from George Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont in 1855, Albert Denison, 1st Baron Londesborough, who was a politician and horse racing enthusiast, set about making various improvements to his estate for the benefit of the local people. One of these improvements was a proposed town hall. The site he selected was immediately to the southwest to an old public house, The White Horse, which as part of his improvements, he converted into a hotel for his horse racing guests.

The new building was designed in the neoclassical style, built in red brick with stone dressings and was completed in 1860. His successor, William Denison, 1st Earl of Londesborough got into financial difficulties and sold the Tadcaster estate, including the town hall, in 1873. The building remained an important venue for community events and the balcony was the place where the parliamentary election results for Barkston Ash were announced. Petty session hearings were also held in the building on a fortnightly basis, and county court hearings were held there on a bi-monthly basis.

In the early 20th century, the first floor of the building became the Cosy Picture House cinema, which operated until 1938. After the Londesborough Arms hotel closed in the early 1970s, both the hotel and the town hall were acquired in 1976 for use as the head office of Samuel Smith Old Brewery. The building was grade II listed in 1985.

Architecture

The three-storey building is built of brick, with stone dressings. Its roof is slate, and it has a first-floor balcony constructed of wrought iron. The ground floor has been replaced, and it now has a carriage entrance with wooden doors at the left-hand side, and then a 20th-century bay window to the right. The first floor has tall round-headed windows, which extend up to the second floor, above which there is a pediment, with a plaque depicting a shield. Inside, the original 19th century staircase survives.

References

1. Tadcaster
2. Old Town Hall
3. List of city and town halls in England
4. The Ark (Tadcaster)
5. Tadcaster Grammar School
6. Sherburn in Elmet
7. Leeds
8. Saxton, North Yorkshire
9. Londesborough Arms
10. Ulleskelf
11. Wetherby
12. River Wharfe
13. Pontefract
14. A64 road
15. Harrogate
16. Failsworth
17. The Beiderbecke Affair
18. Saxton with Scarthingwell
19. Macclesfield F.C.
20. Boston Spa