Lancaster Town Hall
Lancaster Town Hall is a historic government building in Dalton Square, Lancaster, England. Built in 1909 to replace the old town hall, it was designed by Edward Mountford and Thomas Lucas in the Edwardian Baroque style and is a Grade II* listed building.
Inside, the basement once housed a police station, the ground floor held a magistrates' court, and at the rear is an assembly hall called Ashton Hall with a concert organ by Norman and Beard. The stonework and fittings were made by Waring & Gillow; front carvings were by F. W. Pomeroy, and the stained glass was by Shrigley and Hunt. The tower has a clock and five bells by Gillett & Johnston.
The building was financed by Lord Ashton and officially opened on 27 December 1909. A nearby war memorial, designed by Thomas Mawson & Sons and carved by Morton of Cheltenham, was unveiled on 3 December 1924.
Notable events include the 1935 trial of Dr. Buck Ruxton and a 1955 visit by Queen Elizabeth II as Duke of Lancaster. After local government reorganisation in 1974, full council meetings have been held at Morecambe Town Hall. In 1995, a recording from Ashton Hall was released, and an episode of Antiques Roadshow was filmed there in 2014.
The courts moved out in 1985, but the old magistrates’ court was used again as a Nightingale Court during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Ashton Hall was used as an emergency Crown Court.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 11:27 (CET).