Gazetteer of
British Place Names

Old Town Hall is a 17th-century civic building in Carlisle, Cumberland. The current building was commissioned to replace an earlier 'moot hall' on the site which dated back to 1345. The new building, with commercial facilities on the ground floor and assembly rooms on the first floor, was completed in 1669. It was extended to the east with an extra section incorporating a clock tower in 1717 and to the west with an extra three-storey section in the 19th century. One of the building's distinctive features is its clock tower, which has three faces rather than the standard four. The assembly rooms were used for the courts of assize until 1881 and magistrates' courts were held there until 1941. Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, visited the building to mark the city's 800th anniversary and signed the visitors' book there in October 1958. The building remained the headquarters of the County Borough of Carlisle until the council moved to Carlisle Civic Centre in Rickergate in March 1964. A major restoration of the building, involving asbestos removal, repairs to the roof and improved disabled access, was carried out in 2013. A 17th-century court book was discovered in the clock tower during the restoration work. Further improvements, involving restoration of the original wood panelling and fireplaces, was carried out in the assembly rooms in 2017; the assembly rooms hosted the first wedding in the building's history later that year. The building later became home to the Carlisle Tourist Information Centre. It is within the council area of Cumberland.
Historic England Grade I Listed 1218104.

Place Type: Historic Civic Building
Historic County: Cumberland
Lat, Long: 54.8948,-2.9357979
Grid Reference: NY 4007 5596
Council Area: Cumberland CA
Police Area: Cumbria PA

GBPN ID: 319715
Entry Type: Main listing (P)
URL: https://gazetteer.org.uk/place/Old_Town_Hall,_Cumberland_319715

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