The first town hall in Altrincham was a two-storey, six-sided building dating from the 17th century, which formerly stood in the middle of Old Market Place. Also known as the Butter Market, it had been erected in 1684 by Lord Delamer, the lord of the manor: the lower storey was open and furnished with seats 'for the accommodation of parties bringing butter and other commodities to the market'.[1] The upper floor was used for meetings of the court leet and other civic gatherings. The building also contained the town lock-up, and nearby were a set of stocks.[3]
The second town hall was a small neoclassical style structure in the Old Market Place built in brick with white stucco and completed in 1849 (whereupon the old town hall was demolished).[4] It was commissioned by the Earl of Stamford, whose country seat was at Dunham Massey Hall, to serve as a town hall and market hall for the borough.[5] The original borough of Altrincham was administered by a court leet, which met in the council chamber on the first floor,[4] until it was abolished under the Municipal Corporations Act 1883.[6] The monthly Petty Sessions were also held here. The market hall was on the ground floor. The local volunteer fire brigade had space at the rear of the building where their manual fire engine was kept.[3]
The design of the old town hall involved a symmetrical main frontage with three bays facing onto the Old Market Place; the left hand bay contained a carriage entrance while the other two bays contained round headed windows. The central bay, which slightly projected forward, featured an oriel window on the first floor and a clock tower with a bellcote and a weather vane above.[2][7] The bell from the old Butter Market was installed in the bellcote and used to strike the hours: inscribed as having been cast in Little Budworth and given by Henry, Lord Delamer, in 1684, it was also used to sound an alarm in the event of a fire.[3]
Following significant industrial growth, particularly in the Broadheath area after the businessman, Benjamin Tilghman, established the town as the British hub of the sandblasting industry,[8] Altrincham became an urban district in 1895.[9] In this context, the new council decided to erect a new town hall in Market Street.[10] Subsequently, the Earl of Stamford sold the old town hall (together with the adjacent Unicorn Hotel) to Chester's Brewery Company.[3] The complex, later known as the "Old Market Tavern", was sold by Punch Taverns to an undisclosed buyer in 2017.[11]
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