Cullompton Town Hall
{{Short description|Municipal building in Cullompton, Devon, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox historic site
| name = Cullompton Town Hall
| native_name =
| image = High Street becomes Fore Street, Cullompton (geograph 4955008) (cropped).jpg
| caption = The building in 2016
| locmapin =Devon
| map_caption =Shown in Devon
| coordinates = {{coord| 50.8575|N| 3.3926|W|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline,title}}
| location = High Street, Cullompton
| area =
| built = 1903
| architect =
| architecture = Edwardian Free Style
| governing_body =
| website=
}}
Cullompton Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street in Cullompton, a town in Devon, in England. The building is currently used as the offices and meeting place of Cullompton Town Council.
History
Following the implementation of the Local Government Act 1894, which established parish councils in rural areas,{{cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/56-57/73/contents |title=Local Government Act 1894 (56 & 57 Vict. c. 73)|publisher=Legislation.gov.uk| access-date=28 May 2024}} the new parish council in Cullompton decided to commission offices for its meetings. The site they selected was occupied, in part, by the Half Moon Inn.{{cite web|url= https://www.historiccullompton.co.uk/half-moon-1-high-street/ |title=Half Moon, 1 High Street / Fore Street|website=Historic Cullompton |access-date=28 May 2024}}{{cite web|url= https://www.middevon.gov.uk/media/352989/cullompton-camp-compressed.pdf |title=Cullompton Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan|publisher=Mid Devon District Council|page=62| access-date=28 May 2024}} The new building was designed in the Edwardian Free Style, built in red brick and was officially opened as the Parish Rooms in 1903. The design involved an asymmetrical main frontage of three bays facing onto the High Street. The left-hand bay was fenestrated by four-part casement windows on the ground floor and first floor with a bi-partite dormer window at attic level. The other two bays contained openings on the ground hall and segmental-headed casement window on the first floor, albeit at different heights. The right-hand bay also contained a bi-partite dormer window at attic level. Internally, the principal room was the committee room.{{cite web|url= https://cullomptontowncouncil.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-09-12-SPOS-Agenda-Pack.pdf |title= Council Agenda |page=4|date=6 September 2023|publisher=Cullompton Town Council| access-date=28 May 2024}}
The building also served as a fire station until the Second World War, and during the war, it accommodated a first aid post.{{cite web |title=High Street (East Side) |url=https://www.historiccullompton.co.uk/high-street-east-side/ |website=Historic Cullompton |access-date=28 May 2024}} Following local government re-organisation in 1974,{{cite book|title=Local Government Act 1972. 1972 c.70|publisher=The Stationery Office Ltd|isbn=0-10-547072-4|year=1997}} the parish council was succeeded by Cullompton Town Council, which continued to hold its meetings in the town hall.{{cite web|url=https://cullomptontowncouncil.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2024-01-Full-Council-Agenda-and-Reports.pdf |title= Council Agenda |page=1|date=25 January 2024|publisher=Cullompton Town Council| access-date=28 May 2024}} In 1995, to mark the one hundredth anniversary of the founding of the council, a clock was placed on the front of the building at first floor level.{{cite web |title=A walk through historic Cullompton |url=https://www.visitmiddevon.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Town-Trail-Low-Rez-Online.pdf |website=Visit Mid Devon |access-date=28 May 2024}} It also renamed the building as the town hall. After a gap of about 50 years, the tradition of holding an indoor market in the town hall every Wednesday was revived in 2008.{{cite news|last=Shepherd |first=David| title = Market to be revived after gap of 50 years | work = Culm Valley Gazette | pages = 1| date=17 June 2008}}{{cite web|url=http://www.cullompton.org/cullompton-indoor-market.html|title=Indoor Market |work =The official Cullompton site|access-date=19 June 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080403043652/http://www.cullompton.org/cullompton-indoor-market.html |archive-date = 3 April 2008}}
In March 2010, councillors suggested that the vacant site previously occupied by the magistrates court on Exeter Court might be developed as a town hall,{{cite news|title=Magistrates' Court to close says ministry| work = Culm Valley Gazette | pages = 5| date=23 March 2010}} but this plan was prevented when a group formed to oppose the proposal to purchase the site were elected to two thirds of the council seats in May 2011.{{cite news|title=Voters put new party in control|work=Culm Valley Gazette|date=11 May 2011|url=http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/VOTERS-NEW-PARTY-CONTROL/story-11747740-detail/story.html|access-date=11 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723140810/http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/VOTERS-NEW-PARTY-CONTROL/story-11747740-detail/story.html|archive-date=23 July 2011|url-status=dead}} In April 2020, in the context of very high cost estimates for upgrading the town hall, the concept of re-locating to alternative premises was again revived.{{cite news|url=https://www.devonlive.com/news/local-news/town-council-eyes-move-away-4038126 |title=Town Council eyes move away as town hall "no longer fit for purpose"|date=13 April 2020|newspaper=Devon Live| access-date=28 May 2024}}