Widnes Town Hall

One of the great buildings in the north-west of England, the old Town Hall at Widnes was designed by F & G Holme and completed in 1885. This is quite an early date for the use of such extravagant terracotta decoration. A particular favourite of mine are the two Griffins bearing shieldsabove the central entrance. I was keen to discover the manufacturer of the terracotta work on this building and was delighted to find stamped on a broken piece at the side the name of Northwich brickmaker Jabez Thompson. Listed Grade II.

It is currently a club with an incomplete new hotel development at the rear.