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Todmorden's town hall

Todmorden's civic pride

The town hall in Todmorden straddles the River Calder and was situated in both Lancashire and Yorkshire until the county boundary was moved on January 1 1888. Designed by John Gibson of Westminster, this imposing building has a northern end which is semi-circular.

The town hall is considered one of the finest municipal buildings in the country with a frontage of 53 feet at the County Bridge End, extending 130 feet to the apse and measuring 67 feet to the top of the pediment.

As early as 1807 a meeting took place in the Golden Lion where there was a proposal to form a company to build a public hall. The first limited company was formed in 1860 and plans were drawn up for a public hall with a market hall underneath. Work commenced on the foundations, cellar and the ground floor. However, the scheme failed due to a complex series of reasons, one of which was the American Civil War and the resulting cotton famine.

In 1866 at a price of £5,500 Joshua, Samuel and John Fielden bought the partially constructed building and the town hall was rebuilt at a cost of £54,000. Officially opened on April 3rd 1875, the opening ceremonies were watched by an estimated 4000 people and special trains ran from surrounding districts. At the ceremony a monument to John Fielden, the great industrialist, was unveiled and the town hall was actually presented to the town on August 6 1891.

“The imposing Todmorden Town Hall, on the hub of the town athwart the junction of the Halifax and Burnley Roads”.

One interesting external feature of the town hall is the pediment. The fine carved stonework has two central female figures on a pedestal. The left hand one represents Lancashire (cotton spinning industry) and the right hand one Yorkshire (engineering and agriculture). The mosaic inside the building is one of its most striking features. The mosaic is set into the corridor floor and includes the Todmorden coat of arms together with the motto 'By Industry We Prosper'. For the last 125 years the town hall has served its people well. It has acted as a council chamber, magistrates court, meeting hall for local societies and a venue for dances and competitions. The town hall has many outstanding features and is certainly worthy of more than a passing glance.

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