Town Hall

Town Hall in Berkeley is a small Georgian civic building on the corner of Market Place and Salter Street in the centre of Berkeley, a market town in Gloucestershire, England. It is a Grade II listed building that has served the town for around two hundred years, and today it works as a community events venue and a meeting place for the Town Council.

What is the Town Hall in Berkeley?

The building went up in the 1820s. Sources give slightly different dates: one places its construction in 1824, while the Jenner Museum says it opened in 1825. Either way, it was completed after the death of Edward Jenner, the physician best known for pioneering vaccination, who lived in Berkeley.

Originally the town had an old market house on the south side of Salter Street. When that building fell into disrepair, the mayor and aldermen decided to fund a replacement and chose a site on the opposite side of the same street. The new building was designed as a market hall, with an assembly room on the upper floor that served as the Council Chamber.

What does the building look like?

The Historic England listing, dated October 1952, describes an early 19th-century building of ashlar stone with a rusticated ground floor and a hipped slate roof. It is nearly square in plan and has two storeys. The Salter Street front has three sash windows above three large segmental arches on the ground floor. On the Market Place side, a clock is set into the ground-floor arch, which makes it easy to spot when you walk through the centre of town.

The Jenner Museum describes the hall as a Georgian building that was altered during the Victorian period.

How has it been used over time?

The ground floor was meant for trading, but by the middle of the 19th century the markets had stopped. The open ground floor was then used to store carts and other items. In 1905 rooms were built on the ground floor at the expense of Lord Fitzhardinge, and the Town Council still meets in one of them. Today the hall also hosts community events.

Why does it matter to visitors?

The Town Hall is one of the places on the Jenner trail in Berkeley. The Jenner Museum notes that Edward Jenner was appointed Mayor of Berkeley, magistrate and Justice of the Peace in 1821, so the building is linked to his civic role in the town, even though it was finished after his death. For anyone exploring Berkeley, it is a good stop to combine with the town's other historic sights, including Berkeley Castle, which is known as the place where the imprisoned King Edward II died.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Town Hall in Berkeley? On the corner of Market Place and Salter Street, in the centre of Berkeley, Gloucestershire.

When was it built? In the mid-1820s, around 1824 or 1825 depending on the source.

Is it a listed building? Yes, it has Grade II listed status.

Can I go inside? It is used for community events and Town Council meetings, so access depends on what is on. Check with Berkeley Town Council before your visit.

Did Edward Jenner work here? Not in this building. It was completed after his death, but it is associated with his role as mayor of the town.