Tower and Town, April 2017 (view the full edition)The Town HallThe Town Hall has been an iconic building for over a century in the High Street and remains at the heart of governance and democracy within Marlborough. Construction of the building began in the Victorian era and finished in 1902. Within the Town Hall are a court room, a council chamber and an assembly room. We were lucky enough to get a tour of the building, learning about the history and how it affects tourism today, attracting couples to get married in, or even as a venue for meetings and entertainment.
The Court Room was once used as a magistrate's court with prisoners housed in the cells in the basement. Prisoners would be brought up into the Court Room through a hatch in the floor, which is still there. Nowadays, it is more likely to be used for public sales and wedding ceremonies. It is a light, airy, high-ceilinged room on the ground floor with front doors opening onto a wide sweep of steps. As well as the Court room the Town Hall also contains the Council Chamber. Portraits of Marlborough's past Mayors line the walls of this intimate panelled room where the Town Council hold their Committee Meetings. There is a large stained glass window depicting the arms of the old Borough. Lord Ailesbury presented the Mayor's chair for the Council Chamber in 1901. The room is available to hire for wedding ceremonies, conferences and private meetings. The Assembly Room is on the first floor, accessed by its grand staircase and with an adjoining bar. This is an imposing room with chandeliers, painted vaulted ceiling and a balcony with a magnificent view of the famous wide sweep of the High Street. It is used today for receptions, parties, film shows, plays and official civic events. The Town Hall can actually be let out for parties, religious festivals and other things similar to this. Chairs and tables are freely available, however you can also hire other facilities from the Town Hall. If you were to hire both the assembly room and the court room together you would manage to fit 150 in the court room and 200 in the assembly room. The funds produced by these events are very important, as the town hall is run by the town council, so all the money produced goes to them and therefore it helps support the local community here in Marlborough. The Marlborough Town Hall is at the heart of Marlborough, dominating the east end of the High Street. However, as we have found out, its significance for the town goes well beyond its striking architecture. Aubrey Clark and Tom Williams |
