Summary
Former town hall and market house built between 1829 and 1831, designed by James Sanderson. It was extended in 1856, and again between 1867 and 1869, to designs by Frances Newman, including the creation of a council chamber and assembly hall. Alterations and repairs were made following a fire in 1933. The assembly hall was converted into a theatre between 1990 and 1991.
Reasons for Designation
The former Ryde Town Hall, Lind Street, Ryde is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* the building has a strong architectural presence blending well the early-C19 neoclassical-style civic building with the later C19 Italianate-style additions, including the elegant clock tower;
* the key phases of the building’s internal development remain legible, including elements of C19 decorative treatments and internal subdivisions, demonstrating the evolution of its public uses;
* a notable example of the work of James Sanderson, who played a significant role in the early development of the town of Ryde.
Historic interest:
* the public building was established in the early C19 and illustrates well the development of the town since the start of the C19, in part due to its role as one of the main entry points to the Isle of Wight during its boom in tourism;
* the war memorial incorporated into the ground floor of the Lind Street elevation is a poignant physical reminder of the impact of world events on the local community, and the sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20.
Group value:
* it stands amongst several listed buildings, many of which form part of the major expansion of Ryde in the first half of the C19.
History
The fishing village of the ‘Le Ryde’ is recorded in the C14. By the late C18, there were two separate settlements located at different ends of the route of the main street much of which was the route of the High Street, the farming community of Upper Ryde to the south, and the fishing and port community of Lower Ryde to the north by the coast.
During the early years of the C19, Ryde began to grow, culminating in the merger of Upper and Lower Ryde. From 1825 regular steam ferries began to operate between Ryde and Portsmouth. In 1829 the Ryde Improvement Act recognised Ryde as a town. A significant increase in the town’s population occurred during the first half of the C19, rising from around 1,000 in 1800 to 10,000 in the 1860s. Ryde developed as a seaside resort, encouraged by Queen Victoria’s presence on the island and the resulting boom in tourism. Its popularity continued into the C20, with the town acting as one of the main points of entry to the Isle of Wight.
The former Ryde Town Hall was originally built as a market house and town hall between 1829 and 1831, designed by the architect James Sanderson. He was brought on by the Improvement Act commissioners, newly formed to manage the facilities of Ryde following the passing of the 1829 Ryde Improvement Act.
James Sanderson (1790-1835) was a pupil of Jeffry Wyatt from 1813 to 1816. He had a practice in London, however, most of his buildings were located on the Isle of Wight. His work in and around Ryde includes the remodelling of the Church of St Thomas, (1827, Grade II-listed, National Heritage List for England (NHLE) entry 1222335), and the design of Steephill Castle (1833, demolished 1960s) and Brigstocke Terrace (around 1833, Grade II-listed, NHLE entry 1276159).
The original design of Ryde Town Hall was a symmetrical, neoclassical building, with a portico sitting above a ground-floor colonnade behind which was a two-storey central hall flanked by two single-storey five-bay wings terminated by a pair of single-storey three-bay slightly projecting pavilions. The building was faced in honey-coloured stone cut to the size of bricks. An early-C19 description of the building notes that it contained a fish market, butchers’ shops, and a water pump to the west, at the centre was a corn market, and to the east was the general market. Market days occurred on Tuesday and Friday, but the market was open daily. A cattle market was initially held in front of the building, this was unsuccessful and closed by 1842. Above the corn market was the town hall which included a large main room and a small commissioner’s room. The rooms were divided by sliding doors which could be pushed back to form a single space where activities such as balls could take place.
A few decades after it was opened, the upkeep of the ground-floor market appears to have declined, with a number of market shops being left vacant. The first-floor town hall, on the other hand, continued to be in high demand. In the mid-C19, the west pavilion was converted for use as the library and lecture room of the Ryde Literary and Scientific Institution. Part of the west wing was also used as an ‘engine’ house for the town’s fire engine.
Between 1856 and 1857, several modifications were made to the building, according to plans by town surveyor Francis Newman (1831-1904). This includes making new fronts to the south and east shops and enclosing the north end of the fish market. In November 1856 the capacity of the town hall was increased from 300 to 500 people; an additional space for an orchestra and a waiting room was made on the west side of the town hall, and a separate room was made to the east. The Ordnance Survey Town Plan of 1866 (1:500) shows the plan of the building, identifying the various uses mentioned above, including a market in the east wing with a central open area bordered by stalls. Within the west wing, the engine house for the fire engine is shown located on the south side, facing onto Lind Street. The hatching on this map indicated the centre of the wing was an open courtyard enclosing a square feature, possibly a water trough. There are evenly spaced subdivisions along the wing’s north side, which may have been further stalls or the accommodation for the fire engine horses. The end of the west wing is marked as the Literary and Scientific Institution.
Further changes were made to plans by Francis Newman in the 1860s. In around 1864, on the west side of the first-floor town hall, a room was created for transacting public businesses relating to the town; this room was the origin of what would become the council chamber and it was possibly adapted from the 1856 orchestra and waiting rooms. Other work was done in advance of Ryde becoming a municipal borough in 1868, taking additional responsibility for services and governance. A new clock tower was added to the town hall, built to plans by Francis Newman with assistance from Thomas Dashwood Jr (1822-1907), described as an architect and surveyor who became the first Mayor of Ryde after 1868. The clock was presented by Miss Mary Harriette Player Brigstocke (1824-1904). At the same time a gallery was installed in the council chamber, as well as the provision of an auction room. In 1867 Dashwood proposed the creation of a large assembly hall seating 750 people over the east wing market. Plans drawn up by October of that year were for a top-lit hall that would be suitable for exhibitions. A tender for the work was accepted the following month from Parsons and Saunders. A second storey was added over the east wing and pavilion to create the assembly hall. The east wing's ground-floor north elevation was refaced in ashlar with new windows inserted. At around the same time, the west wing’s north elevation’s round-arch openings were infilled with sash windows, and two bays were added on either side of the central block’s upper order. The 1860s changes by Newman were built in an Italianate style, using slightly greyer tones, in larger pieces than those chosen by Sanderson. The fire engine was relocated to new premises in 1868 and its former room was converted for use as an office by the town clerk. The new assembly hall opened on 13 April 1869. At around this time, the fire engine was moved to a new location and the engine room was converted to an office for the town clerk. By July 1898, in commemoration of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, funds had been raised for a three-manual Walker organ to be installed in the assembly hall.
The use of the east wing market declined in the late C19 and early C20, however, concerts in the assembly hall continued to be popular. A glass canopy was added to the front of the building in 1902 (removed in 1950). The town hall was also used at various times by the country library service, first established in 1904 by Sir Charles Seely as one of the first county services in the country. It was also used as the temporary location for a school of art until a more permanent home was established at the YMCA in Lind Street in 1935. In 1922 a war memorial bearing 361 names was unveiled by the Marquis of Carisbrooke within the building.
Between 1932 and 1933 two fires broke out, the second in June 1933 caused a significant amount of damage to the east side of the building, including extensive damage to the roof of the assembly hall, and the organ and its platform. There was also water damage reported to a courtroom and reference library, presumably located below the assembly hall. Plans to repair and replace fabric following the fire were produced by Eiloarth, Sons and Inman, in October 1933. These included replacing the pitched roof with a flat one supported by girders. The interior decoration of the assembly hall was largely reconstructed. A central staircase to the former town hall was removed to make more room for kitchens below, with a linking service lift. An iron fire escape was also added to the north elevation adjacent to the council chamber. A mezzanine level and additional lavatories and dressing rooms were added within the former town hall. Folding doors were added to allow the town and assembly hall to be opened into one and a maple dance floor was installed across both. In the assembly hall, giant orders of pilasters were recreated. A new organ with pipes set in two halves across the back of the stage and a sprung and sloping platform were installed. The trabeated ceiling was renewed, but not the dormer windows. The war memorial was moved to a new position within the old ground-floor colonnade. The hall reopened on 1 June 1934.
The organ was restored between 1980 and 1985 when the Ryde Town Hall Organ Trust was formed. Between 1990 and 1991 the assembly hall was converted into a theatre and cinema, carried out by Nigel Hayton. A large raked balcony was inserted over the west end, including a sound and projection box, as well as refurbished dressing rooms, and the creation of a new bar and box office. The proscenium was removed and replaced by curtains. The building was renamed Ryde Theatre. The theatre closed in April 2010.
Details
Former town hall and market house built between 1829 and 1831, designed by James Sanderson. It was extended in 1856, and again between 1867 and 1869, to designs by Frances Newman, including the creation of a council chamber and assembly hall. Alterations and repairs were made following a fire in 1933. The assembly hall was converted into a theatre between 1990 and 1991.
MATERIALS: coursed honey-coloured stone, some cut in an imitation of bricks, with ashlar dressing and later grey-tone stonework. Elements of the building are rendered, including the use of Medina cement render. The pitched roof over the central block is covered in slate, with a central lantern. The west wing’s flat roof is covered in asphalt. The east wing’s flat roof has concrete slabs covered in asphalt. There are further roof lanterns along the roof behind the southern parapet.
PLAN: the town hall has a long rectangular footprint, orientated east to west, with the main entrance to the south. It has a central block, flanked by wings that are terminated by slightly projecting pavilions; the west wing is single-storey while the east wing is two storeys. The central block contains the principal staircases with a former market area on the ground floor and the former town hall (also referred to as the small hall) above, both with later partitions. Attached to the west is the first-floor council chamber. To the east is the former ground-floor 1840s general market (later subdivided), and the former first-floor 1860s assembly room (also referred to as the large hall) which was later used as a theatre. To the west is a single-storey wing which formerly contained further market stalls, and the single-storey west pavilion; both contain various phases of partitions.
EXTERIOR: the building sits on land that slopes slightly down to the north.
The central two-storey block projects forward from the rest of the building. The front (south) elevation has a colonnade at its base with round Doric columns and is flanked by rusticated archways, all topped by an entablature. The central columns are linked by decorative iron backs and light fittings, and beyond are three round-headed doorways with semi-circular fanlights. Above is a tetrastyle portico with four Ionic columns joined by an iron railing. This level was modified in the 1860s. Behind the portico are three nine-over-nine sash windows. The portico is flanked by stair towers consisting of two bays with clasped Doric pilasters and round-arch windows. Above is an entablature which is topped by a parapet with a central pediment over the portico. Above is a three-staged clock tower. The lower square stage has corner Doric pilasters and segmental-arch windows, it is topped by a Greek-key frieze, cornice and urns which top the corners. The middle stage has a clock face on each side with a cornice that is arched above the clock faces; the corners are chamfered. The upper stage is a cupola of eight composite columns which is topped by a copper dome and a weathervane. The internal clock mechanism is by John Moore and Sons, Clerkenwell.
The ground-floor rustication continues across the lower level of the two-storey east wing. The ground floor has squared-headed recesses containing windows and doors. It includes a central recess with a vaulted ceiling which houses the First World War timber plaque memorial with a dedication from the borough and district of Ryde, and the names of the fallen, as well as brass details including a laurel and ceiling lamp; the opening has iron railings and is surround by a metal architrave and a small canopy. On the first floor, added in the 1860s, are five windows set in stuccoed arched recesses with moulded arches springing from acanthus-leaf decorated imposts. The three-bay pavilion at the east end, modified and heightened in the 1860s, projects slightly forward; the rusticated ground floor has segmental arch openings, and the first floor includes Ionic columns flanked by pilasters and recessed arched windows. The east return of the pavilion has a similar treatment; it also includes a rusticated ground-floor arcade. The rustication continues around the ground-floor level to the rear. Behind the east wing parapet is a flat roof with three glazed pitched-roof lanterns.
To the west of the central block is a small setback mid-C19 two-storey level, including a stair tower, which sits over part of the west wing. The rest of the west wing is single-storey. There are four windows with stucco rounded arches, topped by an entablature and cornice. At the end of the wing is the slightly projecting west pavilion which has three further round-arched openings topped by a deep entablature. The pavilion’s west return has a further shallow arch recess containing margin-glazed sashes.
To the rear of the east wing, the ground floor openings are mostly in large brick segmental-headed recesses, while the first floor has blank recesses with round arches springing from imposts and topped by a large parapet. There are metal fire escapes attached to the east wing. The three-window central block projects forward and has round-arched recessed, ground-floor margin-glazed sashes (boarded over), and first-floor square-headed eight-over-eight sashes, with a stepped parapet above. To the west of the central block, is a mid-C19 three-storey range with further segmental and flat-arched sash windows in a variety of styles, including a rear entrance. The rest of the single-storey west wing, modified in the 1860s, consists of tall recessed arches with stucco detailing which contain margin-glazed sash windows; there are iron pin hinges in the stonework on either side of the arches. The north side of the west wing, which has a lower street level than the south, includes the arches to a lower ground floor level.
INTERIOR: the central block’s south entrance hall has a polychromatic tile floor; similar flooring is found in other parts of the ground floor hallways. To the west are two archways with decorative consoles. Through the larger archway is the principal stone staircase with timber handrails; at the upper level the stair banister has decorative carved balustrading.
The ground floor is the former market level. Surviving original cross walls include the division between the central block, the flanking wings, and the west pavilion, as well as some room divisions on the west wing's south side. The cross walling between the central block and the wings retains arched openings, some of which have been infilled. There are also a small number of C19 timber and cast-iron fire surrounds, one is located in an electrical cupboard next to the main entrance while most others are located within the west wing pavilion which contained the former Institute. There is also a strong room in the west end pavilion. The west wing incorporates some partitions from the 1850s and 1860s; the rest are 1990s partitions; to the north of the wing is a staircase. The central block’s ground floor is a formerly large open space with a largely 1990s subdivision and a mezzanine level at the south end. There is timber wainscoting around the central block and parts of the west wing. The east wing’s internal ground-floor partitions largely date to the 1867-1869 work, including staircases, with further 1990s partitions. There are further timber staircases in the east wing.
On the first floor, the mid-C19 council chamber is located over the east end of the west wing, reached by a staircase with a timber balustrade. The chamber has a moulded cornice, and picture and dado rail. An early C20 classical-style plaque commemorating the council mayors is located over a stage at the south end. Below are two doors leading to a room behind. Over the north end is a gallery with inbuilt bench seating behind a panelled gallery front and a pair of flat-segmental arches.
The first floor within the central range includes the location of the original town hall (also known as the small hall). Above is a coved ceiling with a plaster cornice. A 1930s mezzanine level, toilets and kitchen have been inserted over the south end and to the east are 1930s folding doors.
To the east is the theatre (formerly the assembly hall, also known as the large hall), which extends over the east wing. The decoration of this room, including the plasterwork, has been largely reconstructed following a fire in the 1930s. The hall walls are lined with pairs of imitation composite pilasters beneath a frieze topped by a modillion cornice, and it is topped by a large coved ceiling with guilloche-patterned ribbing, also reconstruction. There are also panelled mahogany doors. At the east end of the room is a sloping stage with a proscenium arch. At the back of the stage is the 1930s organ with pipes set in two halves across the back wall; the organ is served by a pressurised air system and a water feed. At the west end is a 1990s steel-frame theatre balcony. Doors in the south side of the gallery lead to a further mezzanine level over the south side of the building.
The roof over the central block has a timber king-post truss roof.
