| Holmfirth Civic Hall | |
| Coordinates: | 53.5723°N -1.7863°W |
| Location: | Huddersfield Road, Holmfirth |
| Built: | 1842 |
| Architecture: | Town hall: Neoclassical style Drill Hall: Tudor style |
| Designation1: | Grade II Listed Building |
| Designation1 Offname: | Civic Hall, boundary wall and gate piers |
| Designation1 Date: | 4 August 1983 |
| Designation1 Number: | 1227986 |
Holmfirth Civic Hall is a historic municipal building in Holmfirth, a town in West Yorkshire in England. The civic hall, which is currently used as a public events venue, is a Grade II listed building.
The building was originally financed by public subscription and commissioned by the Holmfirth and Literary and Philosophical Society as their meeting place.[1] The site selected was on the west side of the Huddersfield Road and construction work was underway by 1838.[2] It was designed in the neoclassical style, built in ashlar stone at a cost of £2,200 and was officially opened with a dinner, a concert and a ball as Holmfirth Town Hall in 1842.[3]
The magistrates also began holding their petty sessions there,[4] and it also became an important venue for public meetings: the champion of the campaign for a ten-hour working day, Richard Oastler, held a rally in the town hall in April 1844.[5] In March 1866, a new company, known as the Holmfirth Town Hall Company, was formed to acquire the building and to promote it more vigorously as a public events venue.[6]
In the early 1890s, the complex was extended to the southwest to create a drill hall. The drill hall was designed in the Tudor style, built in rubble masonry and was completed in 1892.[7] It was commissioned to serve as the home of the 2nd Volunteer Battalion of the Duke of Wellington's (West Riding) Regiment.[8]
In 1946, Holmfirth Urban District Council purchased both buildings and refurbished them for public use: the complex was then re-opened as Holmfirth Civic Hall on 7 November 1947. However, the council continued to maintain their own offices at 49/51 Huddersfield Road until the council was abolished in 1974.[9] [10]
The civic hall was transferred to the ownership of Holme Valley Parish Council and brought under the management of the newly-formed Holmfirth Civic Hall Community Trust in 2017.[11]
The two-storey former town hall building is constructed of stone, and it has a flat roof. The main facade is to the south-east, and it has three central bays, with tall windows, and single-bay wings either side. The building is five bays deep. The former drill hall is designed in the Tudor style, with a large hall and other rooms including an armoury. The whole structure was grade II listed in 1983, along with its boundary wall and gate piers.