Middlesbrough Town Hall was officially opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales on 23 January 1889, but our story begins long before that.
A competition to design the Town Hall building was launched in 1882, and in 1883, architect G.G. Hoskins’ ‘Law and Order’ design was chosen as the winner. Hoskins was almost entirely responsible for the architectural design of Victorian Darlington, and would have been well-known in the architecture community.
Not wasting any time, the new Town Hall’s foundation stone was laid on 24 October 1883.
Much like today, the Town Hall had two very different uses. Part of the building was given over to the municipal functions needed to keep the town running, and the other part established itself as a respected entertainment venue.
