Brackley Town Hall

Our General Works team recently completed the restoration of Grade II* listed, Brackley Town Hall. This prestigious scheme was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Works started in January 2017 and were completed in August 2018. The restoration of this historic building involved exterior renovation, extensive internal remodelling/refurbishment and creation of a modern flat in the attic space, equipped with contemporary features.

The new design and improvements will increase overall usability of the building, which retains original features such as tiles, floors, ceiling and timber beams. Stonework and stone repair was a key feature of this project. The stonework inside and out has been renovated by a specialist mason from our approved list. This included flag stones, which had been covered by concrete and floorboards; these had to be individually logged, cleaned and securely stored before being reinstated.

Most of the ground floor will be devoted to a commercial let, a bistro, which will be where the original Georgian marketplace was. There are two new doors at the opposite end of the building to the entrance for ease of access from both ends of town. Between the central hub and entrance lobby there is now ‘community space’ for people to sit and meet in the building without expectation to spend money in the bistro. In this way the building will be accessible for all to enjoy. An existing staircase was removed to accommodate the installation of a new lift, with space also created for town council offices.

The first floor will remain as the Civic Hall, with a commercial kitchen adjacent to the new stairs created. The floor and ceiling has been restored, and oak panelling has been made from pews from the nearby St Peter’s Church. These new facilities will equip the building to host a wider variety of events and community groups.

We worked with Haverstock Architects and surveyors D.R. Nolans & Co to deliver the project.

“I feel it’s an absolutely amazing job that you’ve done, very difficult to have predicted going from what it used to be, to where we are now. I think what we managed to do for 2018 is bring it up to a modern day standard, keeping all of the original features. It feels fresher, modern and new yet when you look at it, it’s still got the character it was originally designed with.”

Anthony S Bagot-Webb, Deputy Town Mayor