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Ashton Town Hall
Ashton Town Hall
Location	Ashton-under-Lyne, Tameside, England
Coordinates	53°29′23″N 2°05′37″W / 53.4898°N 2.0935°W / 53.4898; -2.0935
Built	1840
Architect	William Young and Charles Lee
Architectural style(s)	Neoclassical style
Website	www.tameside.gov.uk/museumsgalleries/mom/
Listed Building – Grade II
Designated	12 January 1967
Reference no.	1067995
Shown in Greater Manchester

Ashton Town Hall is a public building on Katherine Street in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, England. It is a Grade II listed building.

History

The building, which was designed by Charles Lee in the Neoclassical style, was completed in 1840. The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with seven bays facing onto Katherine Street; the central section of five bays featured three round headed openings on the ground floor; there were sash windows on the first floor and four full-height Corinthian order columns supporting an entablature bearing the words "Erected AD MDCCCXL" (Erected 1840). Extended to the west in a similar style in 1878 by William Young, the hall was intended to provide areas for administrative purposes and public functions. A public library was established in the building in 1881 but removed to the new technical school in 1894.

Two Russian guns, which had been captured during the Crimean War, were installed outside the town hall in 1858. These guns were removed and melted down for materials during the Second World War.

The town hall was the headquarters of Ashton-under-Lyne municipal borough but ceased to be the local seat of government when Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council was formed in 1974. The vacant building became the home of the Museum of the Manchester Regiment, which had previously been based at Ladysmith Barracks, in 1987. Items on display related to the Manchester Regiment including six Victoria Crosses that had been awarded to former members of the regiment.

In 2002 two Turkish guns, which had been captured by the 2nd Battalion, the Royal Welch Fusiliers serving as part of the Cretan International Force at Candia in Crete in 1897 in the aftermath of the Greco-Turkish War, were moved from Hightown Barracks in Wrexham and installed outside the town hall to replace the Russian Guns. The Prince of Wales visited the recently refurbished Ladysmith Gallery at the museum in November 2002.

The museum closed in 2016 so that redevelopment works could be undertaken. Following delays with the main redevelopment works, following the collapse of the contractor, Carillion, the council approved urgent repair works to the parapet and roof of the building in January 2020.

See also

• Listed buildings in Ashton-under-Lyne

References

1. ^ Historic England. "Ashton-under-Lyne Town Hall (1067995)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
2. Burke and Nevell (1996), pp. 118–119.
3. Farrer, William; Brownbill, J. (1911). "'The parish of Ashton-under-Lyne: Introduction, manor & boroughs', in A History of the County of Lancaster". London: British History Online. pp. 338–347. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
4. ^ "Russian guns captured during the Crimean War". Tameside Borough Council. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
5. Local Government Act 1972. 1972 c.70. The Stationery Office Ltd. 1997. ISBN 0-10-547072-4.
6. "Museum of the Manchester Regiment". The Men Behind the Medals. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
7. "Museum of the Manchester Regiment". culture24.org.uk. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
8. "The 23rd Regiment of Foot (Royal Welch Fusiliers)". Regiments of the Malta Garrison. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
9. "Court Circular". Royal.uk. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
10. "Museum of the Manchester Regiment". Tameside Borough Council. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
11. "Council to spend £270k to stop Ashton-under-Lyne Town Hall deteriorating". Manchester Evening News. 15 January 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.

Sources

• Burke, Tom; Nevell, Mike (1996), Buildings of Tameside, Tameside Metropolitan Borough and University of Manchester Archaeological Unit, ISBN 1-871324-14-9

v t e Buildings and structures in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, England
Buildings	Ashton Town Hall Cavendish Mill, Ashton Denton Town Hall Dukinfield Town Hall Hartshead Pike Tower Hyde Hall, Denton Hyde Town Hall Old Street drill hall, Ashton Stayley Hall, Stalybridge Tower Mill, Dukinfield
Places of worship	St Anne's, Haughton St George's, Stalybridge St John's, Dukinfield St Michael's, Ashton St Michael's, Mottram St Peter's, Ashton St Lawrence's, Denton
Education	Alder Community High School All Saints Catholic College, Dukinfield Audenshaw School Copley Academy Denton Community College Droylsden Academy Fairfield High School for Girls Great Academy Ashton Hyde High School Longdendale High School Mossley Hollins High School Rayner Stephens High School St Damian's Roman Catholic Science College St Thomas More Roman Catholic College West Hill School
Transportation	Ashton-under-Lyne bus station Ashton-under-Lyne railway station Denton railway station Fairfield railway station Flowery Field railway station Godley railway station Guide Bridge railway station Hattersley railway station Hyde Central railway station Hyde North railway station Mossley railway station Newton for Hyde railway station Stalybridge railway station
Shopping complexes	Ashton Arcades Clarendon Square Shopping Centre, Hyde
Sport and entertainment	Bower Fold Butcher's Arms Ground Ewen Fields Tameside Hippodrome
Bridges	Broadbottom Viaduct
Others	Mottram Tunnel Tameside General Hospital
Demolished	Atlas Mill, Ashton Cedar Mill, Ashton Curzon Mill, Ashton Gorse Hall, Stalybridge Junction Mills, Ashton Minerva Mill, Ashton Ray Mill, Stalybridge Rock Mill, Ashton Texas Mill, Ashton Tudor Mill, Ashton Waterside Mill
Lists	List of schools in Tameside List of mills in Tameside
Listed buildings in	Ashton-under-Lyne Audenshaw Denton Droylsden Dukinfield Hyde Longdendale Mossley Stalybridge

• City and town halls in Greater Manchester
• Buildings and structures completed in 1840
• Grade II listed buildings in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside
• Buildings and structures in Ashton-under-Lyne