Accrington Town Hall

Accrington Town Hall

Town hall, originally built as the Peel Institution in 1857, designed by James Green of Todmorden with T Birtwhistle as clerk of works. The building is constructed in classical style using buff sandstone with a roof of blue slate and lead.

The hall is prominently sited in a piazza and aligned approximately east-west. It is planned as seven bays by three bays with a northern outshut, a small north-east stair tower, and a prostyle portico. The structure is two storeys tall and features an ashlar projecting plinth, moulded sill bands, a rusticated ground floor, moulded string course, ashlar first floor, entablature and balustraded parapet, and rusticated quoins.

The south-facing front is symmetrical with a central porte-cochere surmounted by a deep, hexastyle, pedimented portico. The porte-cochere has arches to the front and each side that are round-headed with v-jointed, rusticated, voussoired surrounds and slightly pendant keystones. The keystone of the central arch is carved with a helmeted female head, probably representing Athena, and is flanked by garlanded roundels. The portico has coupled Corinthian columns on the front that return at the corners and are linked by a balustrade. Behind the portico are coupled Corinthian pilasters flanking a Venetian window. The other first-floor windows are segmental-headed with sill balustrades and open segmental pediments supported by consoles. The string course is decorated with lion heads.

The side returns have very similar detailing but are entirely in ashlar without the parapet balustrade. A single-bay, three-storey tower is attached at the north-east corner, slightly recessed with similar detailing. It features a five-stepped entrance with round-arched door surround surmounted by the Accrington arms, a tripartite window above, and a top-floor Venetian window. The north and west walls of the tower are rendered.

The north wall of the hall is built of coursed squared stone. The tower masks the window jambs at the left. Centrally positioned is a two-storey, three-bay outshut in coursed squared stone with a hipped slate roof. Its east side is largely blind with a canted north-east corner and blocked ground-floor window. Each bay has a nine-pane ground-floor sash and twelve-pane first-floor sash window. A square brick chimney is attached between bays 2 and 3. The west wall of the outshut is rebuilt in stone with small windows to each of three floors. A mid-1960s extension attached to the rear left corner fronting Broadway is excluded from the listing.

The interior retains extensive original features. The porte-cochere and portico both have decorative plaster ceilings, with decorative light fittings in the porte-cochere. A small vestibule to the main entrance is modern. The entrance and stair hall features mosaic floors including the Accrington coat of arms and emblems, and an imperial staircase with mahogany newels and handrails and foliated iron balusters. To the west are the council chamber with twentieth-century furnishings and gallery, and the mayor's parlour with fire surround, grate, and mirrored overmantel. To the east are public rooms retaining most of their original features. The stair hall has a decorative domed skylight and a niche containing a bust of Peel. The entire first floor comprises an assembly room with a coved ceiling and rich plaster and timber decoration in late 17th-century style. The west end has an inserted modern stage with a bar to its rear.

The basement retains its stone-flag floor and several features of interest, including a former scullery with an original sash window (bricked in externally), a gaslight fitting, stone sink and fireplace. At least one other stone fireplace survives in another room.