The town hall located on High Street is a Grade II* listed building.
The description given by Historic England reads as follows;
"1864-6. Architect, E.W. Goodwin. Built of stone in Gothic style. 2 main storeys plus dormers in slated roof. Arcaded ground storey. Moulded arches and colonnettes to 1st storey windows. Central tower with battlements and pyramidal roof in two stages separated by clock. 3 statues to front with carved supports and hoods. Interior has exposed stone walls. Principal rooms altered." Source: (
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Two previous town halls had occupied this site.
The present town hall building was designed by the architect E.W Godwin in 1864. It is built in Victorian Gothic Style and was completed in 1866. The building has a fine assembly hall with a hammer-beam roof and a gallery in the upper storey. The statues of Queen Victoria, Henry de Lacy and Edward I were set over the frontage but after becoming badly weathered only the statue of Queen Victoria remains as the others were removed for safety reasons during renovations of the building.
The earliest mention of a ‘Town Hall’ in Congleton was a ‘Moot Hall’ in the 15th century. The Ancient half-timbered, black and white framed hall was replaced in 1804-5 when the Corporation built a new brick and stone hall, with four stone columns which supported a covered passageway.
The new building was known as the Guildhall was fronted by a colonnade and piazza made up of four columns. There was a large room where municipal business was transacted, a room for the imprisonment of debtors, a jury room and two arched dungeons.
A set of steps leading from the present council chamber to lower regions appears to have survived from these earlier incarnations and is now protected by hardened glass.
In 1823 Sir Edmund Antrobus, a major benefactor of the town whose name survives in Antrobus Street, paid for the addition of a market hall and an assembly room to the neo-classical building.
Until the Local Government re-organisation in 1974 Congleton Town Hall was owned and managed by the Congleton Urban District Council (responsible for Congleton Town only). In 1974 it transferred to Congleton Borough Council.
In 1996 a major refurbishment costing £975,000 saw most of the interior brought back to its original design. In 1998 the Congleton Town Hall Trust was established in to operate the facility at community level however financial resources and local politics conspired against it and the management was reverted to the Borough Council.
The Town Council was created in 1980 to represent the people of Congleton town. There are 20 Councillors, representing two wards, and they are elected every four years (next election May 2023) to serve on the Council.
In January 2007 Congleton Town Council moved its offices back to the Town Hall, this time leasing two rooms on the first floor. Later in the year it took over the second floor and converted storage space into two modern, fully DDA compliant offices. The ownership and freehold of the Town Hall transferred to the Town Council on 2nd June 2008.
The Town Hall today is a busy venue for weekday conferences, training sessions and public enquiries and provides accommodation for both private and public events.
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Congleton.
Congleton is a market town located in the Dane Valley in south east Cheshire. The town is about half way between Manchester and Stoke and is part of the beautiful Cheshire Peak District.
Congleton is well known for its festivals, flowers, ribbons, beers and bears! It has a bustling shopping centre, its own theatre, many historic buildings and a fantastic park. The town has previously enterted both North West and Britain In Bloom competitions, gaining Gold standards.
History
Congleton developed in Anglo-Saxon times and is mentioned in the Domesday Book.
The green plaque located on the town hall is authorised by the National Domesday Committee and is inscribed as follows;
" ISSUED TO CELEBRATE NINE HUNDRED YEARS OF NORMAN HERITAGE
This Community
is recorded in the
DOMESDAY BOOK 1086
(Crown illustration)
Domesday
1086 - 1986
Authorised by the
NATIONAL DOMESDAY COMMITTEE"
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"Congleton was granted a Charter in 1272 by Henry de Lacy, the Lord of the Manor. This allowed Congleton to appoint a Mayor, hold a market, regulate the sale of food and ale and to use its own corn mill. Disaster struck in 1452 when the river flooded and washed away half the timber built town, which was then rebuilt on higher ground, around the present day High Street.
The plague ravaged the town from 1603-1641. In the early 17th Century, Congleton was accused of using money for a new Town Bible to pay for a new Town Bear instead, when the old one died just before the Wakes. This is the reason for Congleton’s nickname “Beartown”.
During the later 18th Century, from being a market town serving the surrounding agricultural area, Congleton also became a centre for manufacturing textiles, especially silk. The River Dane and its tributaries supplied water power for the numerous mills." Source: (
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Information about some of the towns attractions can be seen at the following link: (
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The Heritage Trail details information about key buildings in the town. (
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The town of Congleton can be seen at the following YouTube link: (
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