Old Town Hall, Falmouth: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox historic site |
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| name = Old Town Hall |
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| native_name = |
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| caption = The building in 2017 |
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| locmapin =Cornwall |
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| map_caption =Shown in Cornwall |
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| coordinates = {{coord| 50.1574|N| 5.0728|W|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline,title}} |
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| location = High Street, [[Falmouth, Cornwall|Falmouth]] |
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| area = |
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| built = 1710 |
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| architect = |
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| architecture = [[Queen Anne style architecture|Queen Anne style]] |
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| governing_body = |
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| designation1 =Grade II* Listed Building |
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| designation1_offname = The Old Town Hall |
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| designation1_date =9 September 1968 |
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| designation1_number = 1270068 |
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| website= |
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}} |
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The '''Old Town Hall''' is a historic building in the High Street in [[Falmouth, Cornwall]], a town in England. The structure, which accommodates a small art gallery, is a Grade II* [[listed building]].<ref name="nhle">{{NHLE|desc= The Old Town Hall |num=1270068| access-date=8 June 2024}}</ref> |
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==History== |
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The building was |
The building was commissioned as a [[Congregationalism|Congregational]] chapel probably around 1700.<ref name="plaque">{{cite news |title=Blue plaque is to go up on Falmouth's Old Town Hall |url=https://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/24253021.blue-plaque-go-falmouths-old-town-hall/ |access-date=8 June 2024 |work=Falmouth Packet |date=15 April 2024}}</ref> It was designed in the [[Queen Anne style architecture|Queen Anne style]], built in brick, and was completed in around 1710. It is one of the oldest surviving non-conformist chapels in Cornwall, with only the Marazion Quaker Meeting House being older, and the one in Kea being of similar date.<ref name="nhle"/> |
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In 1715, a new, larger chapel was constructed, and the old building was acquired by the [[lord of the manor]], Martin Lister Killigrew of [[Arwenack|Arwenack Manor]].<ref name="nhle" /> |
In 1715, a new, larger chapel was constructed, and the old building was acquired by the [[lord of the manor]], Martin Lister Killigrew of [[Arwenack|Arwenack Manor]].<ref name="nhle" /> He presented it to the people of Falmouth, together with two [[ceremonial mace]]s, in 1725,<ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=1euSAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA57 |title= Old Falmouth |first= Susan E.|last= Gay|year= 1903|page=57|publisher=Headley Brothers}}</ref> and the local corporation then used it as a [[town hall]]. It was also used as a courthouse, accommodating both the assizes and the County Court. Following the implementation of the [[Municipal Corporations Act 1835]],<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.scribd.com/doc/71446147/Municipal-Corporations-Act-1835 |title= Municipal Corporations Act 1835|publisher=UK Parliament| access-date=8 June 2024}}</ref> the mayor, [[aldermen]] and [[Burgess (title)|burgesses]] of Falmouth were replaced by an elected council which met in the town hall to discuss issues such as the response to the [[1846–1860 cholera pandemic|cholera pandemic]] of September 1849.<ref name="plaque" /><ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/Cholera%20Epidemic%20in%20Cornwall%201849.pdf |title= The Cholera|newspaper= Royal Cornwall Gazette|date= 7 September 1849}}</ref> The responses included whitewashing the town hall and altering the diet of patients being treated there.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://kresenkernow.org/SOAP/detail/d2abba45-635a-4b31-8e4f-f576a8cca01a/ |title= Minutes of the Board of Guardians held at Falmouth| volume= 4| pages= 96–98| access-date=8 June 2024}}</ref> |
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In 1866 the corporation moved to larger premises on The Moor,<ref>{{NHLE|desc=Former town hall and attached former fire station|num=1269980|access-date=8 June 2024}}</ref> and the old town hall was sold to the [[Odd Fellows]]. However, it continued to be used for judicial purposes: in 1884, it was the venue of the initial hearing, before magistrates, of the case of ''[[R v Dudley and Stephens]]'', the trial of two sailors accused of cannibalism, having eaten the cabin boy when marooned at sea on the [[yacht]], the ''Mignonette''. The magistrates at Falmouth referred the matter to the assizes at [[Exeter]] and the sailors were eventually sentenced to 6 months in prison.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.maritimeviews.co.uk/focus-on-falmouth/the-story-of-the-mignonette/ |title=The Story of the Mignonette|publisher=National Maritime Museum, Cornwall| access-date=8 June 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/history/ships-crew-admitted-cornwall-eating-4507904 |title=When a ship’s crew admitted in Cornwall to eating their cabin boy|date=13 September 2020|newspaper=Cornwall Live| access-date=8 June 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.historyextra.com/period/victorian/cannibalism-at-sea-sailors-ate-the-cabin-boy/ |title= Cannibalism at sea: the starving Victorian sailors who ate a cabin boy|date=24 May 2021|newspaper=History Extra| access-date=8 June 2024}}</ref> |
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The building is constructed of painted brick, with [[quoin]]s styled in stucco. The front is symmetrical, with two round-arched windows, and a central door. The building is two rooms deep. Inside, there is a decorative plaster ceiling, 18th-century [[dado]] panelling, and a staircase with reused 18th century elements. |
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In 1948, the Odd Fellows sold the hall, which was converted into an antiques shop in 1986,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.antiquesexperts.co.uk/business/old-town-hall-antiques |title=Old Town Hall Antiques|publisher=Antique Dealers| access-date=8 June 2024}}</ref> and which, since June 2015, has served as an art gallery.<ref name="first">{{cite web |title=Falmouth's First Town Hall, 1725 -1866 |url=https://thepoly.org/whats-on/event/3036/falmouth-s-first-town-hall-1725-1866 |website=The Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society |access-date=8 June 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/leisure/eventsguide/13359747.the-old-town-hall-gallery-has-opened-its-doors/ |title= The Old Town Hall Gallery has Opened its Doors |date=29 June 2015|newspaper=The Packet| access-date=8 June 2024}}</ref> Significant works of art in the gallery include a painting by the local artist, [[John Opie]], depicting a beggar boy.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.falmouth.co.uk/shopsandbusinesses/old-town-hall-antiques/ |title=Old Town Hall Gallery|publisher=Falmouth.co.uk| access-date=8 June 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://cornwallartists.org/cornwall-artists/john-opie |title=John Opie|publisher=Cornwall Artists| access-date=8 June 2024}}</ref> |
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==Architecture== |
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The building is constructed of painted brick, with the [[quoin]]s and the [[Gibbs surround]]s finished in a [[Rustication (architecture)|rusticated]] [[stucco]] style. The design involves a symmetrical main frontage of three bays facing the High Street. The central bay features a short flight of steps doorway leading up to a doorway with a [[fanlight]] and a Gibbs surround. The outer bays are fenestrated by round headed windows, also with Gibbs surrounds. At roof level, there is a [[cornice]] and a [[parapet]]. Internally, the building is two rooms deep. Inside, there is a decorative plaster ceiling, 18th-century [[dado]] panelling, and a staircase with reused 18th century elements. The building was [[grade II* listed]] in 1968.<ref name="nhle" /> |
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==Se also== |
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* [[Grade II* listed buildings in Cornwall (Q–Z)]] |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 17:36, 9 June 2024
| Old Town Hall | |
|---|---|
 The building in 2017 | |
| Location | High Street, Falmouth |
| Coordinates | 50°09′27″N 5°04′22″W / 50.1574°N 5.0728°W |
| Built | 1710 |
| Architectural style(s) | Queen Anne style |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | The Old Town Hall |
| Designated | 9 September 1968 |
| Reference no. | 1270068 |
  Shown in Cornwall | |
The Old Town Hall is a historic building in the High Street in Falmouth, Cornwall, a town in England. The structure, which accommodates a small art gallery, is a Grade II* listed building.[1]
History
The building was commissioned as a Congregational chapel probably around 1700.[2] It was designed in the Queen Anne style, built in brick, and was completed in around 1710. It is one of the oldest surviving non-conformist chapels in Cornwall, with only the Marazion Quaker Meeting House being older, and the one in Kea being of similar date.[1]
In 1715, a new, larger chapel was constructed, and the old building was acquired by the lord of the manor, Martin Lister Killigrew of Arwenack Manor.[1] He presented it to the people of Falmouth, together with two ceremonial maces, in 1725,[3] and the local corporation then used it as a town hall. It was also used as a courthouse, accommodating both the assizes and the County Court. Following the implementation of the Municipal Corporations Act 1835,[4] the mayor, aldermen and burgesses of Falmouth were replaced by an elected council which met in the town hall to discuss issues such as the response to the cholera pandemic of September 1849.[2][5] The responses included whitewashing the town hall and altering the diet of patients being treated there.[6]
In 1866 the corporation moved to larger premises on The Moor,[7] and the old town hall was sold to the Odd Fellows. However, it continued to be used for judicial purposes: in 1884, it was the venue of the initial hearing, before magistrates, of the case of R v Dudley and Stephens, the trial of two sailors accused of cannibalism, having eaten the cabin boy when marooned at sea on the yacht, the Mignonette. The magistrates at Falmouth referred the matter to the assizes at Exeter and the sailors were eventually sentenced to 6 months in prison.[8][9][10]
In 1948, the Odd Fellows sold the hall, which was converted into an antiques shop in 1986,[11] and which, since June 2015, has served as an art gallery.[12][13] Significant works of art in the gallery include a painting by the local artist, John Opie, depicting a beggar boy.[14][15]
Architecture
The building is constructed of painted brick, with the quoins and the Gibbs surrounds finished in a rusticated stucco style. The design involves a symmetrical main frontage of three bays facing the High Street. The central bay features a short flight of steps doorway leading up to a doorway with a fanlight and a Gibbs surround. The outer bays are fenestrated by round headed windows, also with Gibbs surrounds. At roof level, there is a cornice and a parapet. Internally, the building is two rooms deep. Inside, there is a decorative plaster ceiling, 18th-century dado panelling, and a staircase with reused 18th century elements. The building was grade II* listed in 1968.[1]
Se also
References
- ^ a b c d Historic England. "The Old Town Hall (1270068)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ a b "Blue plaque is to go up on Falmouth's Old Town Hall". Falmouth Packet. 15 April 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ Gay, Susan E. (1903). Old Falmouth. Headley Brothers. p. 57.
- ^ "Municipal Corporations Act 1835". UK Parliament. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ "The Cholera" (PDF). Royal Cornwall Gazette. 7 September 1849.
- ^ "Minutes of the Board of Guardians held at Falmouth". pp. 96–98. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ Historic England. "Former town hall and attached former fire station (1269980)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ "The Story of the Mignonette". National Maritime Museum, Cornwall. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ "When a ship's crew admitted in Cornwall to eating their cabin boy". Cornwall Live. 13 September 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ "Cannibalism at sea: the starving Victorian sailors who ate a cabin boy". History Extra. 24 May 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ "Old Town Hall Antiques". Antique Dealers. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ "Falmouth's First Town Hall, 1725 -1866". The Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ "The Old Town Hall Gallery has Opened its Doors". The Packet. 29 June 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ "Old Town Hall Gallery". Falmouth.co.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ "John Opie". Cornwall Artists. Retrieved 8 June 2024.