Old Town Hall, Gateshead
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The Old Town Hall is a municipal building in West Street,
Gateshead Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Millennium Bridge, The Sage, and the Baltic Centre for Contemporary ...
, England.


History

The first town hall in Gateshead was in Bush Yard. The council subsequently established itself in a building in Greenesfield in 1844. The foundation stone for the current building was laid in 1868: a stand collapsed during the ceremony killing a member of the public. The current building was designed in the Italianate style by John Johnstone who had also designed
Newcastle Town Hall The Town Hall was a local government building located in St Nicholas Square, Newcastle upon Tyne. History Until the mid-19th century civic leaders had held their meetings in the Guildhall. The town hall had its origins in the Corn Exchange whi ...
. Construction work on the Gateshead building was delayed after preparatory work penetrated a coal seam leading to the collapse of nearby properties and the building was eventually completed in 1870. The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with seven bays facing onto West Street; the central section of three bays, which slightly projected forward, featured a round headed doorway on the ground floor, and three stained glass windows on the first floor: there was an ornately carved pediment with a statue depicting
justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...
at roof level. The old town hall also served as a magistrates' court and a police station. In 1892 an ornamental clock, which is Grade II listed and stands in front of the town hall, was presented to Gateshead by the mayor, Walter de Lancey Willson, on the occasion of him being elected for a third time. He was also one of the founders of Walter Willson's, a chain of grocers in the North East and Cumbria.
Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
, accompanied by the
Duke of Edinburgh Duke of Edinburgh, named after the city of Edinburgh in Scotland, was a substantive title that has been created three times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not prod ...
, crossed the
Tyne Bridge The Tyne Bridge is a through arch bridge over the River Tyne in North East England, linking Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead. The bridge was designed by the engineering firm Mott, Hay and Anderson, who later designed the Forth Road Bridge, ...
from the north and signed the town hall visitors' book at a small table on the south side of the bridge on 29 October 1954. The building remained the headquarters of the
Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead The Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead is a metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear, North East England. It includes Gateshead, Rowlands Gill, Whickham, Blaydon, Ryton, Felling, Pelaw, Dunston and Low Fell. The b ...
until the council moved to Gateshead Civic Centre in Regent Street in 1987. The town hall was occupied by the Microelectronics Applications Research Institute ('MARI') who established their head office in the building from 1987 to 2001. It was then briefly used by the management of
Sage Gateshead Sage Gateshead is a concert venue and musical education centre in Gateshead on the south side of the River Tyne in North East England. Opened in 2004 and occupied by North Music Trust it is part of the Gateshead Quays development which include ...
while they waited for their new building at Gateshead Quays to be competed in December 2004. The
Tyneside Cinema The Tyneside Cinema is an independent cinema in Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the city's only full-time independent cultural cinema, specialising in the screening of independent and world cinema from across the globe. The last remaining Newsreel ...
occupied the town hall under a short term lease while a restoration and renovation project was undertaken on their premises in
Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...
between November 2006 and May 2008. The main performance hall in the old town hall was refurbished in 2009 and the building was managed by Sage Gateshead from January 2013. In 2018 it was acquired by "Dinosauria" which has announced plans to convert it into an "unnatural history museum".


References

{{reflist Government buildings completed in 1870 City and town halls in Tyne and Wear Buildings and structures in Gateshead