Barrow-in-Furness Town Hall

Barrow-in-Furness Town Hall
General information
Type	Town hall
Architectural style	Victorian, Gothic Revival
Location	Barrow-in-Furness, England
Address	Duke Street BARROW-IN-FURNESS LA14 2LD
Current tenants	Barrow Borough Council
Construction started	1882
Completed	1886
Inaugurated	14 July 1887
Cost	£80,000 (£8,800,000 as of 2012)
Owner	Barrow Borough Council
Height	50 metres (164 ft)
Dimensions
Diameter	72 metres (236 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	4 (6 in tower)
Design and construction
Architect	William Henry Lynn
Architecture firm	Lanyon, Lynn and Lanyon
Main contractor	Short and Devlin
Awards and prizes	Grade II* listed building

Barrow-in-Furness Town Hall is a Victorian-era, neo-gothic municipal building in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. The building serves as the base of Barrow Borough Council and houses a number of local government departments; with the exception of the housing department located in Cavendish House, also Duke Street.

The building was constructed in a four-year period almost entirely from local Hawcoat sandstone with Westmorland slate for the roof. The town hall was officially opened on July 14, 1887 by Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire to coincide with Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. At 50 metres (164 ft) tall, it amongst the tallest buildings in Barrow and lies within a Conservation Area with Grade II* listed status.

In the mid-19th century, Barrow was little more than a small fishing village. However, after the discovery of iron ore in local mountains and the establishment of a port in the town, the local population skyrocketed to over 40,000 in the space of 20 years. In 1877 numerous architects were invited to submit proposals for a large civic building in Barrow which would represent the dramatic growth and current stature of the town. Irish-born architect, William Henry Lynn had the winning design that began construction in 1882. Financial constraints alongside changes to the design were the reason that construction didn't commence immediately after selection of the design. In 1885 the building was almost complete, however cracks were found in areas of the building and the clock tower had to be completely knocked down and rebuilt. This was most likely the result of the contractors trying to cut costs by using sub-standard stone. Despite these initial troubles, the town hall was finally complete in 1886 and the exterior of the building has remained more or less the same to this day. The town hall's main plaza is to the exterior of the building, which has led to many incorrectly believing that the building was built 'back to front'.

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