Biddulph Town Hall
| Biddulph Town Hall | |
|---|---|
 The building in 2009 | |
| Location | High Street, Biddulph |
| Coordinates | 53°07′00″N 2°10′31″W / 53.1166°N 2.1753°W |
| Built | 1966 |
| Architectural style(s) | Modern style |
  Shown in Staffordshire | |
Biddulph Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street in Biddulph, a town in Staffordshire, in England. It currently serves as the meeting place of Biddulph Town Council and as a venue for concerts and other public events.
History
[edit]Following significant population growth, largely associated with the mining industry, a local board of health was formed in the area in 1882.[1] After the local board of health was replaced by Biddulph Urban District Council in 1894,[2] the new council established its offices on the east side of the High Street.[3]
In the early 1960s, council leaders decided to demolish the existing offices and to erect a modern town hall on the same site. The staff relocated to temporary offices while the construction work, which was budgeted at £72,000, was undertaken.[4] The new building was designed in the modern style, built in concrete and glass and was officially opened in May 1966.[5][6]
The design involved an asymmetrical main frontage of six bays facing onto the High Street. The left-hand bay featured a prominent glazed section which was projected out over the pavement on piers, with an entrance below. The right-hand section of five bays was fenestrated by casement windows on both floors. The whole structure was flat roofed. Internally, the principal room was the council chamber on the first floor.[7]
The town hall ceased to be the local seat of government when the enlarged Staffordshire Moorlands Council was formed in 1974.[8] The new council continued to use the offices, while also providing space for a police station in the building.[9] In 1983, a wheel from Victoria Colliery was placed outside the building, to commemorate the town's history.[10][11]
In 2016, the ground floor was remodelled, with work including a glazed extension to the main reception.[12][13] In 2020, Biddulph Town Council took over management of the town hall,[14] including arrangements for concerts and other public events.[15]
References
[edit]- ^ Kelly's Directory of Staffordshire, 1912. Kelly's Directories Ltd. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
- ^ "Biddulph UD". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "Ordnance Survey Map". 1950. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "Staff move". Municipal Journal. 13 March 1964.
- ^ "Report to Cabinet" (PDF). Staffordshire Moorlands District Council. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "Toast to new Biddulph Town Hall". Evening Sentinel. 19 May 1966. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
Civic heads and officials North Staffordshire and South met yesterday to toast Biddulph's new £70,000 Hall. At a ceremony in the Assembly Hall the building was declared officially open.
- ^ "The Council Chamber". Biddulph Town Council. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ Local Government Act 1972. 1972 c.70. The Stationery Office Ltd. 1997. ISBN 0-10-547072-4.
- ^ "The Potential Move of the Local Policing Team in Kidsgrove and Policing of Kidsgrove and the Rural Area in the Future". Newcastle under Lyme Borough Council. 30 July 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ Redfern, Aimi (21 August 2021). "Anger at plans to move mining wheel to vandal-plagued area". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ Harwood, Helen (2018). Staffordshire Coal Mines. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1445677880.
- ^ "New Year start date for Biddulph Town Hall works". Staffordshire Moorlands District Council. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "Plans to improve Biddulph Town Hall". Good News Publishing. 29 January 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ Lenton, Jack (9 September 2020). "Biddulph Town Council takes on management of Town Hall, Grange Visitor Centre, and Bus Hub". Biddulph Nub News. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "Biddulph Town Hall". Set List FM. Retrieved 28 March 2024.