Lytham St Annes Town Hall

Lytham St Annes Town Hall is a municipal building on the South Promenade in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, England. The structure, which is used as the headquarters of Fylde Borough Council, is a locally listed building.^[1]

Lytham St Annes Town Hall
Lytham St Annes Town Hall
Location	South Promenade, Lytham St Annes
Coordinates	53°44′59″N 3°02′02″W / 53.7498°N 3.0339°W / 53.7498; -3.0339
Built	1898
Architectural style(s)	Victorian style
Lytham St Annes Town Hall Location in Lytham St Annes Show map of Lytham St Annes Lytham St Annes Town Hall Location in the Borough of Fylde Show map of the Borough of Fylde Lytham St Annes Town Hall Location in Lancashire Show map of Lancashire

History

The building was originally commissioned by William John Porritt through his development business, the St Anne's on the Sea Land and Building Company, for use as the "Southdown Hydro Hotel": it has been described by the Lytham St Annes Civic Society as "one of the best examples of a Porritt development".^[2] It was designed in the Victorian style, built in stone quarried in East Lancashire and was completed in 1898.^[3][4][5] The design involved a main frontage with six bays facing onto the South Promenade; the third bay from the left featured a porch with a round headed entrance flanked by pairs of colonettes supporting a moulded architrave. The building was fenestrated, on the lower two floors of the outer bays, by square headed bay windows, on the lower two floors of the second and fourth bays, by canted bay windows and, on the second floor, by two-light pedimented sash windows. The bays were all gabled, with the outer bays featuring large gables than the inner bays. The interior decoration included Minton tiles on the walls and fine stained glass windows.^[6] The proprietor, a Mrs Spyree, claimed that the building enjoyed "the best situation facing pier and sea."^[7]

In 1922, St Anne's-on-the-Sea Urban District Council merged with Lytham Urban District Council to form Lytham St Annes Metropolitan Borough.^[8] Lytham Urban District Council did not have a permanent headquarters at that time and St Anne's Public Offices were not large enough to accommodate the enlarged authority, so the new civic leaders decided to acquire the Southdown Hydro Hotel which was conveniently located just to the rear of the old public offices.^[9] The former hotel was converted and brought into use as "a modern and well-equipped town hall" in 1925.^[10] Internally, the principal new room created was the council chamber.^[11]

In June 1925, John Booth of the local grocery business, Booths, donated a painting by the artist, Richard Ansdell, depicting a young girl with a sheepdog and a herd of sheep. It was given to the council on condition that it be hung in the council chamber. This painting entitled "the Herd Lassie" was the start of the Lytham St Annes Art Collection which was assembled following further donations by other members of the Booth family, by the former mayor, Alderman James Herbert Dawson, and by other benefactors.^[12][13] The building went on to become the local seat of government for the enlarged Fylde District Council in 1974.^[14]

References

1. "Local list of Heritage Assets" (PDF). Fylde Borough Council. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
2. "Architecture". Lytham St Annes Civic Society. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
3. Easdown, Martin (2009). Lancashire's Seaside Piers. Wharncliffe Books. ISBN 978-1845630935.
4. "St Annes Town Trail" (PDF). Discover Fylde. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
5. "St Annes-on-the-Sea". Kelly's Directory of Lancashire. 1905. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
6. "Open Days 2016". Lytham St Annes Civic Society. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
7. Byrom, Peter (2012). St Annes Through Time. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1445631066.
8. "St Anne's-on-the-Sea UD". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
9. Easdown, Martin (2009). Lancashire's Seaside Piers. Wharncliffe Books. ISBN 978-1845630935.
10. Lytham St Annes Town Hall. Vol. 36. The Municipal Journal and Public Works Engineer. 1927. p. 1095.
11. "Wedding Brochure" (PDF). Discover Fylde. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
12. "The Herd Lassie by Richard Ansdell". Lytham St Annes Art Collection. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
13. "Fylde Council Town Hall". Art UK. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
14. Local Government Act 1972. 1972 c.70. The Stationery Office Ltd. 1997. ISBN 0-10-547072-4.