The Old Town Hall, also known as The Buttermarket, is a former municipal building in King Street,

Bakewell Bakewell is a market town and civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England, known for Bakewell pudding. It lies on the River Wye, Derbyshire, River Wye, 15 miles (23 km) south-west of Sheffield. It is the largest se ...

, a town in

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

, England. The building, which is currently in retail use, is a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

History

The building was commissioned by Sir John Manners (c. 1534–1611) of

Haddon Hall Haddon Hall is an English country house on the River Wye, Derbyshire, River Wye near Bakewell, Derbyshire, a former seat of the Duke of Rutland, Dukes of Rutland. It is the home of Lord Edward Manners (brother of David Manners, 11th Duke of Rut ...

, who was born the second son of

Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland, 12th Baron de Ros of Helmsley, Order of the Garter, KG (c. 1497{{snd20 September 1543), of Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire (adjacent to the small county of Rutland), was created Earl of Rutland by King Henry ...

, in the early 17th century. The site he selected was occupied by a small chapel probably associated with the Guild of the Chantry of the Holy Cross. It was a prominent site, which faced down the hill towards the centre of the town. The building was designed in the

neoclassical style Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassici ...

, built in limestone with sandstone dressings, and was completed in 1602, although it may include parts of the earlier chapel. The building was arcaded on the ground floor, so that markets could be held, with an assembly room on the first floor. The assembly room served as a town hall and courtroom, accommodating the

petty sessions Courts of petty session, established from around the 1730s, were local courts consisting of magistrates, held for each petty sessional division (usually based on the county divisions known as hundreds) in England, Wales, and Ireland. The session ...

and the

quarter sessions The courts of quarter sessions or quarter sessions were local courts that were traditionally held at four set times each year in the Kingdom of England from 1388; they were extended to Wales following the Laws in Wales Act 1535. Scotland establ ...

, while the lower floor accommodated St John's Hospital. In 1709, the hospital was relocated to new

almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) is charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the Middle Ages. They were often built for the poor of a locality, for those who had held ce ...

s in South Church Street, and the old town hall was altered. The ground floor continued to be used as a buttermarket, but later also accommodated the local horse drawn fire engine. In 1826, local municipal activities relocated to Bakewell Market Hall in Bridge Street.

Lady Manners School Lady Manners School is an English secondary school located in Bakewell, a market town in the Peak District National Park, Derbyshire. It was founded on 20 May 1636 by Grace, Lady Manners, who lived at Haddon Hall, the current home of Lord and ...

, which had been co-located with the older Chantry School in South Church Street, relocated to the old town hall at that time. There were only nine boys when the school moved into the old town hall. When the headteacher, William Kay, died in 1874, the school closed. The assembly room became a

working men's club Working men's clubs are British private social clubs first created in the 19th century in industrial areas, particularly the North of England, Midlands, Scotland, Northern Ireland and South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education ...

in 1885, with a fishmonger's shop on the ground floor, and remained as such until 1964. In 1966, the building was acquired by Maurice Goldstone, an antiques dealer from

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

, who refurbished it and gave the interior a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

look, with refectory tables, chairs, and heraldic devices in the style of a manorial hall. By the early 21st century, the building was let to the American clothing business

Orvis Orvis is an American family-owned retail and mail-order business specializing in fly fishing, hunting and sporting goods. Founded in Manchester, Vermont, in 1856 by Charles F. Orvis to sell fishing tackle, it is the oldest mail-order retailer in ...

, although the company relocated to new premises on the opposite side of the road in December 2020. A firm of estate agents was subsequently appointed to secure new tenants.

Architecture

The two-storey building is constructed of limestone, with sandstone dressings. It is two bays wide, with a wing at the rear, and external steps to the first floor. The walls of the ground floor are stone piers, with wooden leaded light windows between, and a studded wooden door just to the right of centre. The first floor has two restored windows with stone

mullion A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid sup ...

s. Inside, original oak beams survive, and there is a 20th-century staircase. At roof level, there is a

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an upward extension of a wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/brea ...

with ashlar

coping Coping refers to conscious or unconscious strategies used to reduce and manage unpleasant emotions. Coping strategies can be cognitions or behaviors and can be individual or social. To cope is to deal with struggles and difficulties in life. It ...

and a small

bellcote A bellcote, bell-cote or bell-cot is a small framework and shelter for one or more bells. Bellcotes are most common in church architecture but are also seen on institutions such as schools. The bellcote may be carried on brackets projecting from ...

References

{{reflist Buildings and structures completed in 1602 Government buildings completed in the 17th century City and town halls in Derbyshire Bakewell Grade II listed buildings in Derbyshire

History

Architecture

See also

References