Millennium Project
Deddington News - July 2010
Town Hall Refurbishment Project
A progress report on this exciting project: the Deddington Charity Estates are pleased to announce that we have received both planning and listed building consent for the renovation work to the Town Hall. Our architect Tony Herring is now busy producing tender documents in order for us to obtain quotations for the work.
Deddington Charity Estates will very shortly be releasing a website; this will detail all aspects of the charity’s works including the histories of the Alms Houses, Pest House Field and Deddington Town Hall – more information on this soon.
Initial consultations with various user groups show a very positive response to the proposals for the Town Hall, with many people keen to see this building used more and a positive interest shown in the facilities we are planning to provide. We are currently in the process of formalising our consultation process with questionnaires going out to known possible users. We will also be showing plans and proposals at the August Farmers’ Market, so please do come and view.
Now to the thorny issue of funding the project: we intend to do this via a mixture of grants, local fundraising and donations. Once we have received quotations for the building works this process will begin in earnest – watch this space!
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New south elevation: the undercroft has oak sliding doors half way across enclosing a lobby area. Bus passengers can still take cover from the elements!
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The new ground floor plan: the existing door is removed, and entrance is now via the lobby. New features in the staircase area are a disabled lavatory, the kitchen and a stair hoist to the first floor. |
Deddington News, Edition Unknown
Deddington Town Hall was rebuilt in 1806 to replace an earlier structure, dating before 1611, which had shops and stalls under and adjoining.
Repaired in 1832, the Town Hall was used for vestry meetings, petty sessions (until 1874), as a polling booth (in 1837, 1852 and 1862) reading room and library. It stood on open arches, beneath which were three stalls used by butchers on market days. Some arches were bricked up in 1858 to form a shelter for the parish fire engine, formerly kept in the parish church and for a time, in a building on Goose Green. The fire engine was still housed at the Town Hall in 1933.
A weekly corn market was started there in 1870, but failed. The Town Hall well supplied the town pool before it was filled in around 1880.
Sources
Mary Vane Turner The Story of Deddington 1933.
H M Colvin A History of Deddington, Oxfordshire SPCK London 1963.
The Victoria History of the Counties of England; vol. XI, Oxfordshire 1983.