{{Short description|Municipal building in Burnley, Lancashire, England}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Use British English|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox historic site | name =Burnley Town Hall | native_name = | image =Burnley Town Hall-24997220736.jpg | caption =Burnley Town Hall | locmapin =Lancashire#United Kingdom Burnley | map_caption =Shown in Lancashire##Location in Burnley | coordinates = {{coord|53.7876|N|2.2448|W|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline,title}} | location =Manchester Road, [[Burnley]] | area = | built =1888 | architect = Henry Holtom and George Arthur Fox | architecture =[[Renaissance architecture|Renaissance style]] | governing_body = | website= | designation1 =Grade II Listed Building | designation1_offname = | designation1_date =29 September 1977 | designation1_number =1244910 }} '''Burnley Town Hall''' is a municipal building in Manchester Road, [[Burnley]], [[Lancashire]], England. The town hall, which is the headquarters of [[Borough of Burnley|Burnley Borough Council]], is a Grade II [[listed building]].<ref name=nhle>{{NHLE|desc=Town Hall, Burnley|num=1244910|accessdate=9 July 2020}}</ref>
==History== In the mid 19th century local council meetings were held in the old fire station on Manchester Road until the council bought the public hall in Elizabeth Street in 1868.<ref name=pt>{{cite web|url=http://www.pendletoday.co.uk/news/the-proud-history-of-burnley-town-hall-1-6654506|title=The proud history of Burnley Town Hall|date=4 June 2014|publisher=Pendle Today|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305141048/http://www.pendletoday.co.uk/news/the-proud-history-of-burnley-town-hall-1-6654506|accessdate=9 July 2020|archive-date=2017-03-05}}</ref> The council continued to seek sites to erect a new facility not least because the public hall in Elizabeth Street had not been the council's first choice of building.<ref name=pt/> The site selected for the new building was a just to the southwest of the [[Burnley Mechanics|Mechanics' Institute]] which had been built in 1855.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://burnleymechanics.co.uk/home/history-burnley-mechanics/|title=History|publisher=Burnley Mechanics|accessdate=9 July 2020}}</ref>
The foundation stone for the new building was laid by John Baron, the mayor, in 1885.<ref name=pt/> It was designed by Henry Holtom and George Arthur Fox from [[Dewsbury]] in the [[Renaissance architecture|Renaissance style]] and was officially opened on 27 October 1888.<ref name=nhle/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.briercliffesociety.co.uk/Photo%20Archive/Burnley%20Buildings/Town%20Hall3.htm|title=Burnley Town Hall|publisher=The Briercliffe Society|accessdate=9 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title='Townships: Burnley', in A History of the County of Lancaster|volume=6|first1=William |last1=Farrer |first2= J. |last2=Brownbill |location=London|year=1911|pages= 441–454|publisher= British History Online |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol6/pp441-454 |access-date= 21 July 2020}}</ref> The design of the centre section of the front elevation of the building involved [[Ionic order|Ionic]] columns of polished granite with sandstone [[Capital (architecture)|capital]]s.<ref name=nhle/> The height to the top of the dome is {{convert|90|feet}}.<ref name="Lan">{{cite journal |title=Our Centres of Industry - 1. Burnley |journal=Lancashire Faces & Places |date=January 1901 |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=10–14}}</ref> When it opened, the building incorporated a new police station with 30 prison cells and a magistrates' court.<ref name=pt/> The clock for town hall was designed by [[Edmund Beckett, 1st Baron Grimthorpe|Lord Grimthorpe]] in the same style as the mechanism for the clock of the [[Palace of Westminster]] and made by [[Potts of Leeds]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/5996907.time-facelift/|title=Time for a facelift|date=6 December 2001|publisher=Lancashire Telegraph|accessdate=9 July 2020}}</ref> The bells were by [[Gillett & Johnston]]:<ref>{{cite web |title=Chimes of the United Kingdom and Ireland |url=https://warksbells.co.uk/ukchimes/ |website=Church Bells of Warwickshire |access-date=5 April 2023}}</ref> the large bell of the clock weighs 25 cwt and the four smaller bells weigh over 32 cwt.<ref name="Lan"/> The interior decoration included a mosaic pavement with tiles made by [[Craven Dunnill]] bearing the town's coat of arms.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tilesoc.org.uk/tile-gazetteer/lancashire.html|title=Tile Gazateer|publisher=Tiles and Architectural Ceramics Society|accessdate=9 July 2020}}</ref>
[[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]], accompanied by the [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|Duke of Edinburgh]], visited the town hall and waved to the crowd from the town hall balcony in February 1955.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/bygones/12920719.east-lancashire-residents-remember-young-royals-1955-tour/|title=East Lancashire residents remember the young royals on their 1955 tour|publisher=Lancashire Telegraph|date=29 April 2015|access-date= 9 July 2020}}</ref>
The town hall became the headquarters of Burnley County Borough on completion and remained the local seat of government on the formation of the enlarged [[Borough of Burnley]] in 1974.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sF6IAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT4|title=Burnley Through Time|first1= Roger |last1=Frost|first2= Ian |last2=Thompson|publisher=Amberley Publishing|year=2010|isbn=978-1848682818}}</ref> The building was the venue for crown court trials until the new [[Burnley Law Courts|Law Courts]] in Hammerton Street opened in 1981.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.burnleyexpress.net/heritage-and-retro/heritage/burnley-town-halls-ps27m-four-year-restoration-3942227 |title= Burnley Town Hall's £2.7m. four-year restoration|date=5 December 2022|newspaper=Burnley Express|access-date=4 March 2023}}</ref> The [[Charles, Prince of Wales|Prince of Wales]] visited the town hall for a meeting with the civic dignitaries in February 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://hydroperitoneum2.rssing.com/chan-1348477/all_p89.html|title=Video memories: Prince Charles visits Burnley 2008|publisher=Pendle Today|date=20 September 2013|accessdate=8 July 2020}}</ref>
In May 2016 [[Burnley F.C.]] were presented with the [[EFL Championship|Football League Championship]] trophy outside the town hall after security risks at [[The Valley (London)|The Valley]] prevented the trophy from reaching south London on the final day of the competition.<ref>{{cite news|title=Burnley presented with Sky Bet Championship trophy|first=Matthew|last=Treadwell|date=9 May 2016|work=Sky Sports|publisher=British Sky Broadcasting|url=http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11708/10275988/burnley-presented-with-sky-bet-championship-trophy|accessdate=9 July 2020}}</ref> Essential repairs to the roof and external faces of the building were carried out in 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.burnley.gov.uk/news/essential-repairs-historic-landmark-building|title=Essential repairs to historic landmark building|date=7 February 2019|publisher=Burnley Council|accessdate=9 July 2020}}</ref>
==See also== *[[Listed buildings in Burnley]]
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Borough of Burnley culture}} {{Borough of Burnley buildings}}
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Burnley]] [[Category:City and town halls in Lancashire]] [[Category:Grade II listed buildings in Lancashire]] [[Category:Government buildings completed in 1888]] [[Category:Local government in Burnley]] [[Category:Government buildings with domes]] [[Category:Domes in the United Kingdom]]