Chorley Town Hall, Market Street, Chorley

 CHORLEY - New Town Hall - On Saturday last the foundation stone of this building was laid by the High Sheriff of Lancashire, R. Smethurst, Esq., with Masonic ceremony. The building will cost about £24,000, and will be erected from designs by Messrs Ladds and Powell, of London, who were the successful competitors in an open competition. The principal facade towards Market-street, includes four handsome shops, with offices above. The chief hall, which was the principal feature in their plan, is 104 feet by 50 feet, and will accommodate about 1,200 persons. [British Architect 8 January 1875 page 23]

CHORLEY TOWN-HALL - This building was commenced some months back, and the whole of the basement portion is completed. On Saturday, January 2nd, a corner stone was laid with much ceremony by the High Sheriff of the County Palatine of Lan caster (R. Smethurst, Esq.). The building is on an excellent site, both for its central position and its very considerable elevation above most other portions of the town. It will be entirely of stone, the lower portion of Yorkshire parpoints in level courses, with tooled bands 3in. deep at every 18in. in height, and the upper portion of the building, as indicated in the view, will have a boasted face. Longridge stone is used for the dressings. The contract was let in various sub divisions, and the tenders appeared in our journal at the time, and amount in the aggregate to £21,876. 3s. 10d. The architects are John Ladds, 4, Chapel-street, Bedford-row, and William Henry Powell, 18, Mecklenburgh-square, W.C., whose designs were selected by Mr. Paley, of Lancaster, who was appointed referee by the Commissioners, out of 63 sets that were sent in in competition. [Building News 22 January 1875 page 90]

OPENING OF A TOWN HALL AT CHORLEY - On Saturday a new Town Hall, erected by the local Board of Commissioners at Chorley was formally opened in that town by Colonel the Right Hon. F A Stanley, MP, the Secretary of State for War. For many years a town hall containing a large public room has been a recognised want of Chorley, and on 2 January 1875 the memorial stone memorial stone of the new building was laid by the late Mr R Smethurst, that year High Sheriff of the county. Since that time the work has gone on slowly, but at length the people of Chorley are put in possession of a magnificent building which would do credit to some of our foremost municipalities. The hall, which is of white stone, is in the Italian style of architecture, and besides offering accommodation for the various public departments of the town contains an assembly room capable of seating about 1,500 persons and furnishes in its rear basement an extensive butter market. The original estimate of  the building was £21,000; but with extra works which have been effected the actual cost will be a little under £30,000. To this sum must be added the cost of the site, about £8,000,  and the cost of furnishings, which will bring the total to something like £40,000. The opening ceremony was preceded by a procession illustrative of the industries of Chorley, and including the local authorities and the Sunday school children of the town. (continues with speeches etc). [Manchester Guardian 4 August 1879 page 8]

NEW TOWN-HALL AT CHORLEY. A new town-hall has just been erected at Chorley, in Lancashire, and was formally opened on Saturday last, with much ceremony, by the Right Hon. Col. Stanley, Secretary of State for War. Chorley is distant about nine miles from Preston, on the main road between the last-named town and Manchester, and until within the last decade was one of the smallest of the Lancashire manufacturing towns. Its population has, however, rapidly increased within the last few years, owing to the extension of its cotton manufactures and the erection of several additional mills, until at length a new town-hall for conducting the general public business of the town has been found necessary. The new building is entirely of stone, with boasted face, Yorkshire parpoints, and dressings of rubbed Longridge stone. The building has its main frontage to Market-street, the principal street in the town, and is surmounted by a lofty clock-tower, containing bells and chimes, it has an ornamental entrance, which is surmounted by the Chorley coat of arms. The entrance leads into a vestibule, containing niches for statuary. The several floors of the building combine a post-office, a board-room, and offices for the transaction of the public business of the town; also, a butter-market, a great hall for public meetings, and on another floor are several spacious apartments, one of which is furnished with two billiard-tables. The market is in the basement of the building. The ground-floor contains the post-office, fronting Market-street, together with the offices of the clerk to the commissioners, the town surveyor, and the general offices for the clerks, in addition to the board-room, an apartment measuring 30 feet by 32 feet. On the first-floor is the public hall, attached to which are several cloak-rooms. The hall is 100 feet long by 58 feet. wide, and 36 feet high; it will seat; an audience of 900. At one end is an orchestra, which will seat an additional 200, whilst at the rear on each side are retiring and dressing rooms. The walls and ceiling are decorated, the latter being in panels. The hall is lighted by fifteen chandeliers, containing 405 lights. Immediately adjoining the great hall is a refreshment- room. The second floor, containing the billiard-rooms, is approached by a winding staircase, whilst a further ascent by the staircase leads to the clock tower. The cost of the building, exclusive of the land and furnishing, but inclusive of a clock and chimes, supplied by Messrs. Gillett & Bland, at a cost of about £800, amounts to about £24,000. The contractors for the stonework and slating were Messrs. Gabbutt and Son, of Liverpool; for the carpenter and joiner’s work, Messrs. Gillett & Son; plasterers’, Messrs. Whalley & Son; plumbing and painting, etc., Mr. T. Fletcher; all of Chorley. The ironwork was by Mr. Geo. Fletcher, of Wolverhampton; and the beating by Mr. Charles Seward, of Preston. The polished brass pendants and lights for the principal rooms were supplied by Messrs. Richardson and Ellson, of London. The architects were Messrs. Ladds & Powell, of London; and the clerk of the works was Mr. Henry Winfield. The acoustic properties of the large hall are considered good. [Builder 9 August 1879 page 895]

CHORLEY - On Saturday last, the new Town Hall, at Chorley, Lancashire, was opened by Col. the Hon. F. A. Stanley, M.P., Secretary of State for War. The building is entirely of stone, with boasted face, Yorkshire parpoints, and dressings of rubbed Longridge stone. In the basement is a large butter market and cellarage, etc. On the ground floor are the commissioners' board room, 30ft. by 32ft., offices for town clerk, borough surveyor, gas, water, and rate collectors, treasurer and accountant, post offices, and various other offices let to professional gentlemen. Approached by a grand staircase, the large hall or assembly room is reached, on the first floor, and is 100 feet long by 58 feet wide, and 36 feet high, lighted on both sides, having an orchestra and retiring room at one end, and a refreshment room, cloak rooms, etc., at the other. Five exits are provided in case of necessity, three being ordinarily in use. The remainder of this floor and the floor above contain offices for letting. The cost of the building, exclusive of the land and furnishing, but inclusive of a clock and chimes supplied by Messrs. Gillett and Bland, at a cost of about £S00, amounts to about £24,000. The contractors for the stonework and slating were Messrs Gabbutt and Sons, of Liverpool; for the carpenter and joiners’ work, Messrs. Gillett and Son; plasterers, Messrs. Whalley and Son; plumbing and painting. etc, Mr. T. Lucas, all of Chorley. The architects were Messrs. Ladds and Powell, of London, and the clerk of the works, Mr. Henry Winfield, of Ewelm, near Wallingford. The acoustic properties of the large hall are pronounced good, and the whole of the work has given great satisfaction to the Commissioners and the Town [Building News 8 August 1879 page 169]

Reference    Building News 9 May 1873 Page 550 (Tenders)
Reference    Manchester Guardian 8 February 1873 page 10 – contracts
Reference    British Architect 8 January 1875 page 23 - laying of foundation stone
Reference    Building News 22 January 1875 page 90]
Reference    Manchester Guardian 4 August 1879 page 8 opening