Barnsley Town Hall

Barnsley Town Hall is an imposing civic building faced in Portland Stone with a central tower rising to a height of some 145ft above the street making it one of Barnsley's most striking and attractive architectural features.

The foundation stone for the Town Hall was laid by a former Mayor of Barnsley, Councillor R. J. Plummer on the 21st April, 1932 and the building was formally opened by H.R.H. Edward, Prince of Wales, on the 14th December, 1933.

Steps had been taken as far back as 1914 to build a new Town Hall. There was an open architectural competition and tenders were accepted in 1915 of around £22,465, but because of the First World War the idea was shelved. After the war, more land was acquired to build a bigger building. The actual building work on the Town Hall started in 1930 and the major contractors were:

Foundations - T. Wilkinson & Sons, Sheffield
Stonework up to ground floor - Charles Smith, Barnsley
Superstructure - W. Thornton & Sons, Liverpool.

The overall cost to build and fit out the Town Hall was £188,037 12 shillings and 10 old pennies.

The Town Hall is 33,872 square feet inside and contained 140 rooms when it was first built. It has 4 storeys. On the first floor, there is the Council Chamber, 45ft by 42ft with a public gallery big enough for 64 people. Nearly the whole of the Church Street frontage of the building is taken up by the central reception rooms which can be used for banquets, receiving guests or simply light refreshments.

Barnsley Town Hall has seen many distinguished guests over the years and was graced by a visit from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in December 1986. Also on the first floor there are five Committee Rooms of varying sizes and the Mayor's Parlour. Committee rooms are fitted with sliding doors so that two or more rooms can be made into one.

Up to 1974, most of the Council's departments were housed in the Town Hall, but, due to local government reorganisation and a widening of the Council's functions with the abolition of the County Council in 1986, only a small number of central services are actually based in the building today. Other services are located in and around the town centre at Central Offices, Shambles Street, County Way and Wellington House.

Helplines

If you have any queries please contact the Mayor's Office on 01226 773804 or 01226 773823

Charges/Fees

Free of charge unless stated

Opening Times/Locations

Barnsley Town Hall is open to the public on Monday to Friday, between 8.45am and 5.00pm

Out of Hours Procedure

If you have any queries please use the following email address and we will contact you as soon as possible

MayorsOffice@barnsley.gov.uk

Owner Officer Contact Details

If you would like to know more about Barnsley Town Hall please contact the

Mayor's Office, Town Hall, Barnsley. S70 2TA

Telephone: 01226 773804 or 01226 773823