Masham Town Hall
| Masham Town Hall | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Masham Town Hall | |
| Location | Little Market Place, Masham |
| Coordinates | 54°13′20″N 1°39′19″W / 54.2221°N 1.6554°W |
| Built | 1913 |
| Architect | John Houfe |
| Architectural style(s) | Neoclassical style |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Official name | Town Hall |
| Designated | 28 April 1986 |
| Reference no. | 1167212 |
.svg)  Shown in North Yorkshire | |
Masham Town Hall is a municipal building in the Little Market Place, Masham, North Yorkshire, England. The structure, which is used as an events venue, is a grade II listed building.[1]
History[edit]
Following significant population growth, largely associated with the status of Masham as a market town, the area became an urban district in 1894.[2] In the early 20th century, the new council decided to procure an events venue for the town: they site they chose on the north side of the Little Market Place had been occupied by a row of single-storey houses.[3][4] The new building was financed by a bequest from Samuel Lister, 1st Baron Masham who had died in 1906.[5]
Construction work on the new building began in 1912. It was designed by John Houfe of Harrogate in the neoclassical style, built in ashlar stone at a cost of £3,751 and was officially opened on 24 May 1913.[6][7] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with seven bays facing onto the Little Market Place. The central bay featured a doorway with a fanlight and a keystone, flanked by rusticated pilasters and brackets supporting a stone balcony; there was a French door with a fanlight and keystone, flanked by pilasters, on the first floor. The other bays were fenestrated by casement windows with architraves and keystones on the ground floor and by casement windows with architraves, friezes and pediments on the first floor. At roof level there was a frieze, cornice and parapet as well as a central cupola.[1] Internally, the principal room was the main assembly hall on the first floor.[8]
During the First World War, the town hall was used as a Red Cross Voluntary Aid Detachment auxiliary hospital for wounded service personnel.[9][10] A wooden plaque commemorating the contribution of local service personnel who had served in the war was unveiled inside the building by Lady Cunnliffe Lister in April 1929.[11]
By the time of the Second World War, the town hall was mainly operating as a cinema[12] but, in the second half of the 20th century, the building began hosting a broader range of community activities again. Fund raising to support the cost of operating the building was undertaken by the Masham Town Hall Association from 1967,[13] and by the Masham Town Hall Community Charity from 2012.[14] In May 2015, the town hall hosted the folk rock band, Lindisfarne, with Rod Clements fronting the group for the first time.[15]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Historic England. "Town Hall (1167212)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
- ^ "Masham UD". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
- ^ "Ordnance Survey Map". 1900. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
- ^ Fisher, John (1865). The History and Antiquities of Masham and Mashamshire. Simpkin. p. 157.
Masham, the market place of which is uncommonly spacious, built on three sides, but the houses are so low and mean
- ^ Municipal Work in Progress and Projected. Vol. 42. The Surveyor. 1913. p. 215.
Masham U.D.C. - Plans have been passed of a town hall to be erected by the trustees of the late Lord Masham.
- ^ "Masham Town Hall". The Architect and Building News. 1912. p. 14.
Masham - Town Hall (£3,000) Mr J. Houfe of (Harrogate), architect.
- ^ Masham Town Hall. Vol. 33. The Surveyor and Municipal and County Engineer. 30 May 1913. p. 846.
Masham U.D.C. — The new town hall, built at a cost of £3,751 from a bequest by the late Lord Masham, was opened on Saturday last
- ^ "Facilities". Masham Town Hall. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
- ^ "List of auxiliary hospitals in the UK during the First World War" (PDF). British Red Cross. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
- ^ "Masham Red Cross Hospital". North Riding VAD Hospitals. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
- ^ "Masham Roll of Honour, Masham Town Hall". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
- ^ "Town Hall Picturedrome". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
- ^ "Masham Town Hall Association". Charities Commission. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
- ^ "Masham Town Hall Community Charity". Charities Commission. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
- ^ Van der Kiste, John (2017). We Can Swing Together: The Story of Lindisfarne. Fonthill Media. ISBN 978-1781555897.