Old Town Hall, Cromer
| Old Town Hall, Cromer | |
|---|---|
 Old Town Hall, Cromer | |
| Location | Prince of Wales Road, Cromer |
| Coordinates | 52°55′53″N 1°17′51″E / 52.9314°N 1.2975°E |
| Built | 1890 |
| Architect | George Skipper |
| Architectural style(s) | Queen Anne style |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Official name | Old Town Hall |
| Designated | 21 January 1977 |
| Reference no. | 1171785 |
  Shown in Norfolk | |
The Old Town Hall is a former events venue in Prince of Wales Road, Cromer, Norfolk, England. The structure, which is currently used for retail purposes, is a grade II listed building.[1]
History
[edit]In the mid-19th century, a group of local businessmen decided to form a company to raise funds for the erection of an events venue in the town.[2] The site they selected was on the west side of Prince of Wales Road and the foundation stone was laid by Mrs Benjamin Bond-Cabbell of Cromer Hall on 3 January 1890.[3] The building was designed by George Skipper in the Queen Anne style, built in red brick with a stucco finish by Chapman and Son of Norwich and was completed later that year.[1][4][5]
The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with five bays facing onto Prince of Wales Road; the central bay, which slightly projected forward, featured, on the ground floor, a round headed doorway and, on the first floor, a four-part window flanked by fluted pilasters supporting a modillioned pediment with an illustration of a sailing ship in the tympanum.[a] The bays on either side of the central bay were fenestrated by sash windows on the ground floor and by two-part windows on the first floor while the outer bays were fenestrated by pairs of sash windows on the ground floor and by three-part windows on the first floor. Between the two floors there was a panel bearing the coats of arms of the first lord of the manor, Sir Nicholas de Weyland, of the mariner, Robert Bacon, of the locally-born Lord Mayor of London, Sir Bartholomew Reade, and of the later lords of the manor, Lord Suffield and Benjamin Bond-Cabbell, as well as those of other prominent local families.[3] Internally, the principal room was the main assembly hall which was designed to accommodate 900 people.[3]
Following significant population growth, largely associated with the tourism industry, the area became an urban district in 1894.[8] However, rather than using the town hall, the new council chose to establish its offices at the corner of West Street and Chapel Street in 1908,[9] before relocating to North Lodge Park in 1928.[10] Following the Second World War, during which time the town hall was requisitioned for military use,[11] it resumed its role as a theatre and performers included the actor, Bernard Archard, who appeared in a production entitled The Regency Players, in 1960.[12]
The building was acquired by a firm of wine merchants in 1963, when the company that had developed it was wound up.[13] The town hall was then acquired by a property developer and let to the Co-op in 1991, before being restored with funding from English Heritage in 1994.[14] In the early 21st century, it was occupied by a firm of solicitors,[15] and, in September 2020, it re-opened as a shop known as "Harbord's Artisan Vintage Emporium".[16]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Historic England. "Old Town Hall (1171785)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ Competitions. The Builder. 31 August 1889. p. 157. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ a b c "New Town Hall Cromer". Norwich Mercury. 26 July 1890. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ "Façade of the former Town Hall containing the Town Hall Theatre, Cromer". Theatres Trust. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ Pevsner, Nikolaus; Wilson, Bill (2002). Norfolk 2: North-west and south. Yale University Press. p. 159. ISBN 978-0300096576.
- ^ "Robert Bacon Discovering Iceland". Recording Archive for Public Sculpture in Norfolk & Suffolk. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ Skipper, George John. "Robert Bacon Discovering Iceland". Art UK. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ "Cromer UD". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ "Cromer Urban District Council". The Building News and Engineering Journal. 1908. p. 741. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ Rouse, Michael (2010). Cromer and Sheringham Through Time. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1445627670.
- ^ Town Hall, Cromer. UK Parliament. 2 April 1946. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ "Radio Times". Vol. 149. 1960. p. 2.
Shall we ever forget him in The Regency Players at Cromer Town Hall?
- ^ "No. 43185". The London Gazette. 17 December 1963. p. 10317.
- ^ "Town Hall Theatre". Theatres Trust. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ "Pope & Co Conveyancing". Local Solicitors. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ "New vintage emporium opens its door in town". Eastern Daily Press. 30 September 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2022.