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Museum in Lancaster, Lancashire, England From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lancaster City Museum is a museum in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. It is housed in the former Lancaster Town Hall building in Market Square.
| Lancaster City Museum | |
|---|---|
The museum, seen across Market Square | |
  Location within Lancaster city centre | |
| Former names | Old Town Hall |
| General information | |
| Type | Museum |
| Town or city | Lancaster, Lancashire |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 54.0489°N 2.8017°W |
| Construction started | 1781 |
| Completed | 1783 |
| Opened | (as Lancaster City Museum) 1923 |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Sandstone ashlar with slate roof |
| Floor count | 3 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Major Thomas Jarrett |
| Main contractor | Robert Charnley and Robert Dickinson |
| Website | |
| www | |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | City Museum, The Old Town Hall |
| Designated | 22 December 1953 |
| Reference no. | 1194971 |
The Old Town Hall building in which the museum is housed is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. It was designed by Major Thomas Jarrett and built between 1781 and 1783, with a cupola added in 1782 to a design by Thomas Harrison. It was extended in 1871 and 1886. In 1910, the functions of the Town Hall were transferred to a new building in nearby Dalton Square. The old Town Hall was converted into a museum in 1923.[1]
The building is a two-storey structure built from sandstone ashlar, fronted by a projecting tetrastyle Tuscan portico. The façade presents five bays with round-arched windows and, in the centre under the portico, a round-arched door at the top of a set of four steps. The cupola surmounting the building has a square base with a second octagonal stage on the side of which is a clock face. Above is a round drum surrounded by a rotunda of Ionic columns, capped by a dome. The hour-striking turret clock dates from 1851 and is still hand wound each week; its maker's plate reads 'Wm Poulton, Lancaster, 1851' and a separate plate records it as 'The Gift of Henry Gregson Esq, Mayor, 1851'.[2] The ground floor was originally open and contained an arcade housing a market for grain and butter. The openings to the arcade were later filled with the current ground-floor windows. The building has served a number of purposes over the years; as well as housing Lancaster's Council Chamber and subsequently the City Museum, it also housed the town court (complete with lock-ups) and branches of Barclays Bank (until 1969) and the National Westminster Bank (until 1977).[1]
The museum was founded in 1923, and its collections illustrate the archaeology and history of the city and surrounding areas.[3] Among its highlights is the Lancaster Roman Tombstone, a memorial dating from c. 100 AD which was found locally in 2005. It depicts a Roman soldier on horseback with a decapitated opponent at his feet, and is described as "an iconic piece of Lancaster's dramatic past [giving] a crucial insight into the history of the county."[4][5][6] The museum was also successful in acquiring the Viking-era Silverdale Hoard, discovered in the City of Lancaster district in 2011, for its collection.[7][8][9] The collections also include the King's Own Royal Regiment Museum.[10]
The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council granted the museum "Accredited" status;[11] since 1 October 2011 accreditation is a responsibility of Arts Council England.[12]
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