A planning application has been submitted to Wiltshire Council for a new Blue Plaque to be displayed on Calne Town Hall, marking the building's opening in 1886.
Calne Town Council is seeking listed building consent to install a 400mm cast iron blue and white enamel plaque on the Grade II listed Town Hall in The Strand. The plaque would state that the building was funded by public subscription and officially opened on 27th July 1886.
The plaque would form part of Calne's Blue Plaque trail, with many of the town's historic buildings already displaying similar plaques across the town commemorating events and people, including Walter Goodall George and the visit of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.
The Town Hall was built on the site of the former town mill after the previous Town Hall on Market Hill was demolished in 1882. Bath architect Bryan Oliver won a competition to design the new building in 1883, with construction funded by public donations totalling £6,505. The Grade II listed building opened in 1886.
Over the years, the Town Hall has had many uses. As well as hosting council meetings, weddings and community events, the complex was once home to the town's fire, police and ambulance services. The fire service was based there from 1888 until 1966.
The Large Hall has hosted dances, civic events and public celebrations for generations. During the 1960s and 1970s it was also used as a Magistrates' Court, with police cells located within the Town Hall complex.
The building has also welcomed several royal visitors, including King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra in 1907, Queen Elizabeth II in 2001 and Prince Charles in 1988.
If approved, the plaque will be fixed to the outside of the Town Hall and will identify one of Calne's best-known historic buildings for residents and visitors alike.
You can find out more about Calne's Blue Plaque Trail here.
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