Durham Town Hall

{{for|the building in New Durham, New Hampshire|New Durham Town Hall}}

{{for|the building in Durham, Maine|Union Church (Durham, Maine)}}

{{Short description|Municipal building in Durham, County Durham, England}}

{{Infobox historic site

| name =Durham Town Hall

| native_name =

| image = Durham Markt.jpg

| caption =Durham Town Hall

| locmapin =County Durham

| map_caption =Shown in County Durham

| coordinates = {{coord|54.7773|N|1.5757|W|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline,title}}

| location =Market Place, Durham

| area =

| built =1665; extended 1851

| architect = Philip Charles Hardwick

| architecture =Perpendicular style

| governing_body =

| website=

| designation1 =Grade II* Listed Building

| designation1_offname =

| designation1_date =19 February 1970

| designation1_number =1160184

}}

Durham Town Hall is a municipal building in the Market Place, Durham, England. It is a Grade II* listed building.{{NHLE|desc=Town Hall and Guildhall|num=1160184|accessdate=4 July 2020}}

History

File:Durham Town Hall The Great Hall.jpg

The current complex replaced an earlier timber guildhall on the site which was built in 1356 and replaced by a stone structure commissioned by Bishop Cuthbert Tunstall in 1535.{{cite web|url=https://www.britainexpress.com/counties/durham/az/durham/town-hall.htm|title=Durham Town Hall|publisher=Britain Express|access-date=4 July 2020}} The earliest part of the current facility is the guildhall which was commissioned by Bishop John Cosin and dates back to 1665. The town hall was extended in 1752, when George Bowes, the mayor,{{cite web|url=https://www.durham.gov.uk/media/1326/List-of-former-mayors/pdf/ListOfFormerMayors.pdf?m=636649307186200000|title=List of former mayors|publisher=Durham County Council|access-date= 20 July 2020}} commissioned extensive alterations to the mayor's parlor.{{cite web|title='The city of Durham: Introduction (3 of 3)', in A History of the County of Durham|volume=3|first=William |last=Page |location=London|year=1928|pages=29–53|publisher=British History Online |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/durham/vol3/pp29-53 |access-date= 20 July 2020}} The facade of the town hall was completely refaced in 1754. John Fenwick, a leading abolitionist, spoke at an emancipation meeting held in the hall in 1826.{{cite book |title=The New Monthly Magazine and Literary Journal |date=1826 |publisher=Henry Colburn and Company |page=166 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Tg_lahebM38C&pg=PA166 |language=en}}

The complex was extended to the west, i.e. the rear of the guildhall, to create a town hall, which was designed by Philip Charles Hardwick in the Perpendicular style, in 1851. The Great Hall inside the complex is

{{convert|72|ft}} long, is richly panelled and has a hammerbeam roof which is {{convert|56|ft}} high. The walls of the Great Hall are lined with wooden plaques commemorating some of freemen of the City of Durham including the footballer Sir Bobby Robson, the writer Bill Bryson and the cleric Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

The complex also includes the council chamber which was the meeting place of the municipal borough of Durham and Framwelgate until 1974 and then of Durham District until it was dissolved in 2009; it remains the meeting place of the mayor and aldermen of Durham, who are now appointed by charter trustees. The adjoining indoor markets, which were built around and underneath the town hall complex, opened on 18 December 1852.{{cite web|url=http://www.durhampointers.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/market-adult-leaflet-2018-single-pages-2.pdf|title=Durham Market Place|publisher=Durham Pointers|access-date=20 July 2020}} Further alterations were made in 2008 including a new public entrance, disabled access and fire protection throughout the complex installed at a cost of £0.8 million.{{cite web|url=https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/1834456.hall-gets-new-lease-life-800-000-renovation-project/|title=Hall gets new lease of life with £800,000 renovation project|publisher=Northern Echo|date=15 November 2007|access-date=4 July 2020}}{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/wear/content/image_galleries/durham_town_hall_gallery.shtml|title=Durham Town Hall|publisher=BBC|access-date=4 July 2020}}

The facility, which was opened to public viewing in November 2018,{{cite web|url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/durham-town-hall-tours-opening-15473382|title=Durham's calling! The town hall opens its doors and explores its own history|date=4 July 2020|publisher=Chronicle Live|access-date=4 July 2020}} includes a case displaying some of the belongings of Józef Boruwłaski, a court dwarf known as "the Little Count" who wrote the "Memoirs of Count Boruwlask", an autobiography of his life. It also contains the original city charter, the city's civic sword and the pikes of the mayor's personal bodyguard.{{cite web|url=https://englandsnortheast.co.uk/durham-market-place/|title=Durham Market Place|publisher=England's North East|access-date=4 July 2020}} The scabbard of the civic sword is described as being "of purple velvet, the colour of the old palatine of Durham".{{cite web|url=https://www.durham.gov.uk/article/2768/Civic-insignia-and-Durham-Town-Hall|title=Civic insignia and Durham Town Hall|at=The sword|publisher=Durham County Council|access-date=4 July 2020}}

Durham Town Hall

History

References

Further reading