Sheffield Old Town Hall is a building in Waingate in central

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of Doncaster and Sheffield as well as the boroughs of Barnsley and Rotherham. In N ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, opposite

Castle Market Castle Market was an indoor market in Sheffield city centre, England. The building lay in the north east of the present city centre, by the River Don, and was built on top of the remains of Sheffield Castle, which could still be seen via guided ...

. It is a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

History

In William Harrison's Survey of the Manor of Sheffield, dated 29 September 1637, there is a mention of an early "Sheffield Towne Hall". The early "Sheffield Towne Hall" was replaced by a second building, which had been designed by William Renny in 1699 and opened in 1700. The second town hall was next to the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

, on a site with little space for extension. The third town hall, now referred to as the "Old Town Hall", was designed by Charles Watson in the

Neoclassical style Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The pr ...

and built between 1807 and 1808. It was designed to house not only the Town Trustees but also the

Petty Petty may refer to: People * Bruce Petty (born 1929), Australian political satirist and cartoonist * Bryce Petty (born 1991), American football player * Dini Petty (born 1945), Canadian television and radio host * Eric D. Petty (born 1954), Amer ...

and

Quarter Sessions The courts of quarter sessions or quarter sessions were local courts traditionally held at four set times each year in the Kingdom of England from 1388 (extending also to Wales following the Laws in Wales Act 1535). They were also established in ...

. Initially building was of five

bays A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a narr ...

and faced Castle Street. It was extended in 1833 and again in 1866 to designs by William Flockton (1804–64) of Sheffield and his partner George Abbott. The most prominent feature was the new central

clock tower Clock towers are a specific type of structure which house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another buildi ...

over a new main entrance that reoriented the building to Waingate, the materials of which came from the parts of the building which had been demolished. At the same time the building's

courtroom A courtroom is the enclosed space in which courts of law are held in front of a judge. A number of courtrooms, which may also be known as "courts", may be housed in a courthouse. In recent years, courtrooms have been equipped with audiovisual ...

s were linked by underground passages to the neighbouring Sheffield Police Offices. The first Town Council was elected in 1843 and took over the lease of the Town Trustees' hall in 1866. The next year the building was extensively renovated and the clock tower designed by

Flockton & Abbott Flockton's were a series of architectural firms in the 19th and early 20th centuries, based in Sheffield, England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its ...

was added. By the 1890s Sheffield's administration had again outgrown the building, and the current

Sheffield Town Hall Sheffield Town Hall is a municipal building on Pinstone Street in the City of Sheffield, England. The building is used by Sheffield City Council, and also contains a publicly displayed collection of silverware. It is a Grade I listed building. ...

was built further south. The Old Town Hall was again extended between 1896 and 1897, by the renamed

Flockton, Gibbs & Flockton Flockton's were a series of architectural firms in the 19th and early 20th centuries, based in Sheffield, England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its ...

, and became the local meeting place for the Crown Court and the High Court. The drinking fountain on the Castle Street side of the building was added at this time. In 1973 the Old Town Hall was made a

Grade II listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. In the 1990s these courts moved to new premises, and since at least 1997 to present, the building remains disused. In 2008 the

Victorian Society The Victorian Society is a UK amenity society and membership organisation that campaigns to preserve and promote interest in Victorian and Edwardian architecture and heritage built between 1837 and 1914 in England and Wales. It is a registered ...

named the building as one of its top ten buildings most at-risk. A campaign group, The Friends of the Old Town Hall was formed in November 2014 with the aim of getting the building's owner G1 London Property to state its intention for its future use. In September 2015 the building was put for sale with an asking price of £2,000,000. The sale brochure was withdrawn from the internet after about ten days. In December 2019 plans were approved to develop the building into Pod hotel rooms and apartments. Sheffield City Council said the 42,000 sq ft building can be developed while "preserving it as much as possible". The new plans are for serviced apartments, shops, cafes and hotel rooms. File:Sheffield OldTownHall DrinkingFountain.jpg, Drinking fountain in Castle Street added in 1897. File:Sheffield OldTownHall south.jpg, Sheffield Old Town Hall seen from the south from Castle Street in October 2016. A large banner advertises the building for sale.

Notes

References

Bibliography

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External links

* {{SheffieldStructures City and town halls in South Yorkshire Clock towers in the United Kingdom Former courthouses in England Government buildings completed in 1808 Grade II listed buildings in Sheffield Neoclassical architecture in England Towers in South Yorkshire