Dewsbury Town Hall

Dewsbury Town Hall is a Victorian town hall that stands in front of the old marketplace in the centre of Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England. It is a Grade II listed building.[1]

Dewsbury Town Hall
General information
Architectural styleRenaissance Revival
Classification
Listed Building – Grade II
Designated18 November 1977
Reference no.1134707
Town or cityDewsbury
CountryEngland
Construction started1886
Completed1889
Cost£40,000
ClientDewsbury Council
Technical details
Structural systemAshlar, Sandstone
Design and construction
ArchitectHenry Holtom
George Arthur Fox
EngineerChadwick & Sons

History

The site chosen for the town hall had previously been occupied by a hotel, a forge, a blacksmith and some other small businesses.[2] The foundation stone was laid by the Thomas Bateman Fox JP, mayor of Dewsbury, on 12 October 1886.[3] The building was designed by local architects Henry Holtom and George Arthur Fox.[3] The clock in the tower, which was financed by a gift from Alderman Mark Oldroyd, a later mayor, was supplied by William Potts and Son of Leeds and installed on 2 April 1889.[3] The building itself was built by Chadwick & Sons at a cost of £40,000 and was officially opened by Alderman John Walker JP, the next mayor, on 17 September 1889.[3][2]

King George V and Queen Mary visited the town hall in July 1912 and returned in early 1918 to thank the people of Dewsbury for their efforts during the First World War.[2][4]

In 1928, Charles Brook Crawshaw, a local colliery proprietor, left a collection of important paintings to the town hall including "Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still upon Gibeon", painted by John Martin in 1848,[5] and "Stocks Closed Firmly with an Upward Tendency", painted by William Strutt in 1889.[6] During the Second World War a bomb fell close to the town hall killing five residents[2] and blowing out one of the stained glass windows in the building.[3]

In January 1981, Peter Sutcliffe, the "Yorkshire Ripper", was held in the cells in the town hall following his arrest and he then appeared in the magistrates' court there.[7] The magistrates' court in the town hall closed in the late 1980s.[7]

More recently the building has been used in various television productions including the BBC series Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen in August 2009,[8] the ITV series Emmerdale in July 2011,[9] the ITV series Eternal Law in May 2011[10] and the BBC series Love, Lies and Records in March 2017.[11]

Services

The town hall contains a 700-seat concert hall, function and meeting rooms, and an old court room.[12]

See also

References
  1. Historic England. "The Town Hall Including Magistrates' Court (1134707)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  2. "Dewsbury Town Hall". Kirklees Cousins. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  3. "History of Dewsbury Town Hall" (PDF). Kirklees Council. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  4. "Nostalgia with Margaret Watson: Excitement as King and Queen come to Dewsbury". Dewsbury Reporter. 17 January 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  5. Martin, John. "Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still upon Gibeon". Art.uk. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  6. Strutt, William. "Stocks Closed Firmly with an Upward Tendency". Art.uk. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  7. "Examiner reporter Martin Shaw goes behind the scenes at Dewsbury Town Hall". Examiner. 5 June 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  8. "Dewsbury Town Hall is small-screen star!". BBC. 13 November 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  9. "Dewsbury Town Hall to appear in Emmerdale". Examiner Live. 21 July 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  10. "New ITV1 series Eternal Law filmed at Dewsbury Town Hall". Examiner Live. 13 May 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  11. "New BBC One drama being filmed in Kirklees". Examiner Live. 8 March 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  12. "Dewsbury Town Hall". Kirklees Council. Archived from the original on 1 February 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2020.

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