Town Hall in OD

So, they’re doing a thing in Boro this month called Heritage Open Days. (The one I’m really looking forward to is the Town Meal cos, well, free fucking food!)

Today the Town Hall opened it’s doors for all those nosy enough to want a look.

Like me.

Here, have some pics.

Don’t worry, it’s not that Middlesbrough is so skint they can’t afford a new one. This one was presented to the council at the end of World War 1 and tradition is that once it’s in order, as it is here, it’s left to decay. So, it’s nearly 93 years old. I think it looks in decent freaking condition, to be honest.

2nd Leutenant Albert Edward Forbes. No idea why I took a pic of this :¬p

Clock in the council chambers.

Those black bits in the roof? Yeah, those used to be the lights…

The door to one of the cells. Which, TARDIS like, is bigger on the inside.

Date stone. Don’t ask me to decrypt it.

View of the theatre from the chorus gallery on one side.

Apparently, there are arguments if these decorations are Griffins or Dragons. Which is ridiculous. Clearly dragons.

See? That, at the top, is a griffin head.

The fireplace in the red dressing room. There is another dressing room that’s just been done up, but that one is green.

View from the choir stalls on the other side.

Attempted close up of a dragon holding the old Middlesbrough coat of arms. (The new one is the same, but the middle of the three ships has been replaced with a star shaped yellow flower.)

Stained glass window with the names of some of the musicians who had performed there up till the 1930’s.

The organ. It’s not working at the moment, but the council have been told it’s fixable. Incidentally, tradition dictates that of all the work in the concert hall, fixing the organ should be the last to be done.

Hope you enjoyed.

Will