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Dewsbury Town Hall

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Coordinates: 53°41′29″N 1°37′37″W / 53.6915°N 1.6269°W / 53.6915; -1.6269
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Dewsbury Town Hall
Map
General information
Architectural styleRenaissance Revival
Classification
Listed Building – Grade II
Designated18 November 1977
Reference no.1134707
Town or cityDewsbury
CountryEngland
Construction started1886
Completed1889
Cost£40,000
ClientDewsbury Council
Technical details
Structural systemAshlar, Sandstone
Design and construction
Architect(s)Henry Holtom
George Arthur Fox
EngineerChadwick & Sons

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]

History

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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

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

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Historic England. "The Town Hall Including Magistrates' Court (1134707)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d "Dewsbury Town Hall". Kirklees Cousins. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e "History of Dewsbury Town Hall" (PDF). Kirklees Council. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  4. ^ "Chimes of the United Kingdom and Ireland". Church Bells of Warwickshire. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  5. ^ "Nostalgia with Margaret Watson: Excitement as King and Queen come to Dewsbury". Dewsbury Reporter. 17 January 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  6. ^ Martin, John. "Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still upon Gibeon". Art.uk. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  7. ^ Strutt, William. "Stocks Closed Firmly with an Upward Tendency". Art.uk. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  8. ^ a b "Examiner reporter Martin Shaw goes behind the scenes at Dewsbury Town Hall". Examiner. 5 June 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  9. ^ "Dewsbury Town Hall is small-screen star!". BBC. 13 November 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  10. ^ "Dewsbury Town Hall to appear in Emmerdale". Examiner Live. 21 July 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  11. ^ "New ITV1 series Eternal Law filmed at Dewsbury Town Hall". Examiner Live. 13 May 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  12. ^ "New BBC One drama being filmed in Kirklees". Examiner Live. 8 March 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  13. ^ "Dewsbury Town Hall". Kirklees Council. Archived from the original on 1 February 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
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53°41′29″N 1°37′37″W / 53.6915°N 1.6269°W / 53.6915; -1.6269

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