Bridlington Town Hall

Bridlington Town Hall is a neoclassical municipal building on Quay Road in Bridlington, a seaside town in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Completed in the early 1930s, it is a Grade II listed building and still works as a public office of the local council.

What is Bridlington Town Hall?

The building was created as the seat of Bridlington Borough Council, the body that governed the town as a borough. It served as the council's meeting place for decades. Today it is used as an area office of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, so it remains part of everyday civic life in the town rather than being a museum.

When was it built, and what stood here before?

Construction took place in 1931 and 1932. The foundation stone was laid in September 1931, and the mayor formally opened the finished hall in May 1932. The site on Quay Road had earlier been occupied by a private house known as White Lodge, which dated from the 1830s. That house was demolished in the early 1930s to make room for the new civic building. The design is credited to the borough surveyor, the council's own in-house official, which was a common arrangement for municipal buildings of the period.

What does it look like?

The town hall is built in a classical manner. The main walls are red brick, set off by concrete and ashlar stone dressings. The centrepiece is a portico with four Corinthian columns, the most ornate of the classical column orders, which gives the front of the building a formal, ceremonial look. Above the roof rises a cupola topped with a dome. According to the listing description, that dome was modelled on the one at Chelsea Hospital in London. Historic England's own educational material describes the style as William and Mary, a late seventeenth-century English manner of red brick and restrained classical detail, which fits the brick-and-stone combination seen here.

Heritage status

Historic England designated the building Grade II listed on 23 January 1989 (list entry 1334329). Grade II is the most common listing grade and covers buildings of special interest. The listing helps protect the exterior and architectural character of the town hall.

Visiting Bridlington Town Hall

The building stands on Quay Road, the street that leads towards Bridlington's harbour area, so it is easy to include in a walk through the town. From the pavement you can appreciate the portico, the brickwork and the cupola. Because the building functions as a council office, treat it first of all as a working public building.

Frequently asked questions

Is Bridlington Town Hall still used by the council?

Yes. It now serves as an area office of East Riding of Yorkshire Council.

Is Bridlington Town Hall a listed building?

Yes. It has been Grade II listed since 23 January 1989.

When did Bridlington Town Hall open?

The foundation stone was laid in September 1931 and the mayor opened the building in May 1932.

What was on the site before the town hall?

A private house called White Lodge, built in the 1830s, which was pulled down in the early 1930s.

Where is it?

On Quay Road in Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire.