Skipton Town Hall is the town hall of Skipton, North Yorkshire. It is located on the town's High Street and is home to Craven Museum & Gallery as well as a Concert Hall with events and performance programme and Skipton Tourist Information Centre. Skipton Town Council also reside in the Victorian building, which is Grade II listed.[1][2][3][4]
| Skipton Town Hall | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Skipton Town Hall in 2012 | |
| Location | High Street, Skipton |
| Coordinates | 53°57′44″N 2°00′57″W / 53.96235°N 2.01593°W |
| Built | 1862 |
| Architectural style(s) | Neoclassical style |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Designated | 2 March 1978 |
| Reference no. | 1301634 |
.svg)  Shown in North Yorkshire | |
History edit
In the mid-19th century a group of local businessmen decided to form a private company, known as the Skipton Public Buildings Company, to finance and commission a public events venue for the town. The site they selected was occupied by the former vicarage of the Holy Trinity Parish Church.[5]
The new building, designated No. 19 High Street, was designed in the neoclassical style, built in ashlar stone and was completed in 1862. The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of seven bays facing the High street. It featured a two-storey portico, with two Corinthian order columns and two pilasters on the ground floor and four Corinthian order columns on the first floor.[1] The balcony at the front of the building was used to make public announcements.[5] Later the hall and the building next to it, No. 17 High Street, a commercial building became integrated.[5] In 1878, alterations were made to increase the height of the main hall which was used as a public functions room.[2]
In 1895, upon the creation of Skipton Urban District Council, the building was purchased to replace the former town hall situated on Sheep Street.[2][6] The interior was altered to create a council chamber: the benches and chairs were made by the legendary furniture maker Robert Thompson also known as the "mouseman".[5][7][8]
During the 19th century a glass canopy was built onto the front of the Town Hall and lasted until the 1950s, and in 1935 the hall was made larger to accommodate more office space.[2][5] The town hall continued to be used as a public venue and concert performers included the contralto singer, Kathleen Ferrier, who made an appearance on 27 January 1952.[9] The town hall continued to serve as the headquarters of the urban district council for much of the 20th century[5] and remained the meeting place for the enlarged Craven District Council which was formed in 1974.[10] The new council moved the museum from its previous location at the library to the first floor of the town hall annexe, and a professional museum team were hired to run the museum.[5]
In spring 2019 work started on a redevelopment project, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and costing £4.5 million, to restore and upgrade the concert hall, to redesign the museum and to provide new gallery space.[11][12][13]
References edit
- ^ a b Historic England. "15-19 High Street, Skipton (1301634)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Skipton Town Hall". Craven District Council. Archived from the original on 7 March 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
- ^ Tate, Lesley. "£180,000 repairs to Skipton Town Hall roof approved Water damage to the ornate ceiling of the council chamber Water damage on the floor of the council chamber". Craven Herald & Pioneer. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
- ^ "Anger over plans for cafés and bars in historic listed Skipton town hall". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Anniversary celebration for historic Skipton Town Hall". Craven Herald & Pioneer. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
- ^ Rawson, Barry (1 July 2014). "Th Old Town Hall". Skipton Civic Society. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ "Skipton Town Hall council chamber open to the public". Craven District Council. Archived from the original on 2 September 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
- ^ "Skipton Town Hall and the mouseman of Kilburn" (PDF). Dales Heritage (3): 6. April 2005. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
- ^ Fifield, Christopher (2011). Letters and Diaries of Kathleen Ferrier: Revised and Enlarged Edition. Boydell Press. p. 294. ISBN 978-1843830917.
- ^ Local Government Act 1972. 1972 c.70. The Stationery Office Ltd. 1997. ISBN 0-10-547072-4.
- ^ "Next stage of Skipton Town Hall rebuild about to start". Stray FM. 19 August 2019. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ "Skipton Town Hall set to re-open in winter 2020". Craven District Council. 1 February 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ "Completing Skipton Town Hall redevelopment 'even more important' for post Covid-19 recovery". Craven Herald and Pioneer. 18 May 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
External links edit
