Old Town Hall, Swan Rd, Harrogate, N Yorks, UK
Posted by: 
bill&ben
N 53° 59.654 W 001° 32.826
30U E 595246 N 5983857
A plaque on the wall of the Mercer Gallery giving the building’s history as a theatre and as the old Town Hall.
Waymark Code: WMT868
Location: Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 10/13/2016
Views: 0
The Promenade Rooms opened on the 16th June 1806 as a place for visitors to meet. In 1839 the rooms were renamed the Victoria Reading Rooms and Library and were used for public meetings and lectures. Between 1875 and 1900 the use changed to a theatre. Later the rooms became the Town Hall and in the 1980s it was the rate office for the nearby council offices.
The current usage of the building is as the Mercer Art Gallery, which opened in 1991. Prior to this the town’s art gallery had occupied the first floor of the annexe to the Carnegie Library. The art collection out grew its home, and in 1985 work started on the plans for a new gallery. The new gallery is named after the artist Sidney Agnew Mercer. Mercer’s sons donated £50,000 towards the gallery. Other funds were raised by the Friends of the Mercer Art Gallery, English Heritage and Harrogate Borough Council.
The plaque reads
The Old Town Hall.
This building was erected in 1805 by private subscription to provide shelter and a meeting place for visitors to the spa. At a meeting here on 6th July 1841 the newly formed Harrogate Improvement Commisioners decided to build the Royal Pump Room. Remodelled in 1875 by Arthur Hiscoe, the Old Town Hall has been variously known as the Promenade Room, the Victoria Room and the Town Hall Theatre. Lily Langtry and Oscar Wilde were two of the many celebrities to perform here.
Type of Historic Marker: Plaque
Historical Marker Issuing Authority: Harrogate Borough Council
Age/Event Date: 01/01/1983
Related Website: [Web Link]
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