Old Town Hall, Swindon

The Old Town Hall is a former municipal building in the High Street, Swindon, Wiltshire, England. It is a Grade II listed building.[1]

The Old Town Hall
The Old Town Hall
LocationSwindon
Coordinates51.5512°N 1.7731°W / 51.5512; -1.7731
Built1854
ArchitectSampson Sage and E Robertson
Listed Building – Grade II
Designated2 October 1951
Reference no.1023523
Shown in Wiltshire

History

Until the construction of the town hall on the High Street, the town council had met in the Goddard Arms on the High Street. This small pub had been owned by the Goddards since 1621 and was a small cottage alehouse known as the Crown until 1820.[2] The Goddard Arms was used for public meetings in the early 19th century and was used in this way by Ambrose Goddard to report progress on the Wilts & Berks Canal.[2]

The town hall, which was designed by Sampson Sage and E Robertson, was completed in 1854.[1] It was extended for use as a corn exchange to the designs of Wilson and Willcox of Bath in 1866.[1] A wine store was built on an adjoining site and its upper hall was used by the Swindon Bench of Magistrates from 1871 to 1891.[2]

After civic functions transferred to the new town hall in 1891, the building became a roller skating rink in 1910.[3] It subsequently became a cinema known as the Rink in 1919 and after the Second World War it was refurbished and re-opened as the Locarno Dance Hall.[3] It subsequently served as a bingo hall but has since lain derelict since the late 1970s.[4] Major fires took place in the building in May 2003 and again in May 2004.[4] After the building continued to decay, the council threatened to use a compulsory purchase order to acquire the property in January 2020.[5]

References
  1. Historic England. "Corn Exchange and Town Hall, Swindon (1023523)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  2. Child, Mark (2002). Swindon : An Illustrated History. United Kingdom: Breedon Books Publishing. ISBN 1-85983-322-5.
  3. "Locarno pictures bring back happy memories". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  4. "New hope for Locarno". Swindon Advertiser. 27 December 2005. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  5. "Swindon Borough Council issues Locarno threat". BBC. 22 January 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
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