Dewsbury_Town_Hall

Dewsbury Town Hall

Dewsbury Town Hall

Municipal building in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England

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]

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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 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 Cambridge quarter-chiming 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 five bells, the largest of which weighed 35cwt, were supplied by Taylor of Loughborough.[4] 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][5]

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,[6] and "Stocks Closed Firmly with an Upward Tendency", painted by William Strutt in 1889.[7] 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.[8] The magistrates' court in the town hall closed in the late 1980s.[8]

More recently the building has been used in various television productions including the BBC series Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen in August 2009,[9] the ITV series Emmerdale in July 2011,[10] the ITV series Eternal Law in May 2011[11] and the BBC series Love, Lies and Records in March 2017.[12]

Services

The town hall contains a 700-seat concert hall, function and meeting rooms, and an old court room.[13]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    Historic England. "The Town Hall Including Magistrates' Court (1134707)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  2. [2]
    "Dewsbury Town Hall". Kirklees Cousins. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  3. [3]
    "History of Dewsbury Town Hall" (PDF). Kirklees Council. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  4. [4]
    "Chimes of the United Kingdom and Ireland". Church Bells of Warwickshire. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  5. [5]
    "Nostalgia with Margaret Watson: Excitement as King and Queen come to Dewsbury". Dewsbury Reporter. 17 January 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  6. [6]
    Martin, John. "Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still upon Gibeon". Art.uk. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  7. [7]
    Strutt, William. "Stocks Closed Firmly with an Upward Tendency". Art.uk. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  8. [8]
    "Examiner reporter Martin Shaw goes behind the scenes at Dewsbury Town Hall". Examiner. 5 June 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  9. [9]
    "Dewsbury Town Hall is small-screen star!". BBC. 13 November 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  10. [10]
    "Dewsbury Town Hall to appear in Emmerdale". Examiner Live. 21 July 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  11. [11]
    "New ITV1 series Eternal Law filmed at Dewsbury Town Hall". Examiner Live. 13 May 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  12. [12]
    "New BBC One drama being filmed in Kirklees". Examiner Live. 8 March 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  13. [13]
    "Dewsbury Town Hall". Kirklees Council. Archived from the original on 1 February 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
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