Biddulph Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street in

Biddulph Biddulph is a town in Staffordshire, England, north of Stoke-on-Trent and south-east of Congleton, Cheshire. Origin of the name Biddulph's name may come from Old English language, Anglo-Saxon/Old English ''bī dylfe'' = "beside the pit or q ...

, a town in

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

, in England. It currently serves as the meeting place of Biddulph Town Council and as a venue for concerts and other public events.

History

Following significant population growth, largely associated with the mining industry, a

local board of health A local board of health (or simply a ''local board'') was a local authority in urban areas of England and Wales from 1848 to 1894. They were formed in response to cholera epidemics and were given powers to control sewers, clean the streets, regulat ...

was formed in the area in 1882. After the local board of health was replaced by Biddulph Urban District Council in 1894, the new council established its offices on the east side of the High Street. In the early 1960s, council leaders decided to demolish the existing offices and to erect a modern town hall on the same site. The staff relocated to temporary offices while the construction work, which was budgeted at £72,000, was undertaken. The new building was designed in the

modern style The Modern Style is a style of architecture, art, and design that first emerged in the United Kingdom in the mid-1880s. It was the first Art Nouveau style worldwide, and it represents the evolution of the Arts and Crafts movement which was nativ ...

, built in

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...

and glass and was officially opened in May 1966. The design involved an asymmetrical main frontage of six bays facing onto the High Street. The left-hand bay featured a prominent glazed section which was projected out over the pavement on

piers Piers may refer to: * Pier, a raised structure over a body of water * Pier (architecture), an architectural support * Piers (name), a given name and surname (including lists of people with the name) * Piers baronets, two titles, in the baronetages ...

, with an entrance below. The right-hand section of five bays was fenestrated by

casement window A casement window is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges at the side. They are used singly or in pairs within a common frame, in which case they are hinged on the outside. Casement windows are often held open using a c ...

s on both floors. The whole structure was flat roofed. Internally, the principal room was the council chamber on the first floor. The town hall ceased to be the local seat of government when the enlarged Staffordshire Moorlands Council was formed in 1974. The new council continued to use the offices, while also providing space for a police station in the building. In 1983, a wheel from Victoria Colliery was placed outside the building, to commemorate the town's history. In 2016, the ground floor was remodelled, with work including a glazed extension to the main reception. In 2020, Biddulph Town Council took over management of the town hall, including arrangements for concerts and other public events.

References

{{reflist Biddulph City and town halls in Staffordshire Government buildings completed in 1966