Last week, one of the men who led the fight to find a future for Stokesley Town Hall was honoured by the Queen. Jan Hunter tells the story of the iconic building at the heart of the town.

STOKESLEY is a small market town, with a population of about 5,000, nestling on the River Leven beneath the Cleveland Hills. At its centre is its iconic Town Hall – a “handsome stone structure in the Italian style”, according to one Victorian historian.

Without the town hall, the centre of Stokesley would look and feel very different, much poorer, and yet several decades ago that was on the cards – there was even talk of replacing it with a supermarket. Thankfully, that did not happen, and last week one of the men who ensured its survival was presented with the British Empire Medal by the Queen for his services to the community.

Originally at the centre of the town was the toll-booth, where the lord of the manor held courts and oversaw the operation of the market – there was a large shambles, or meat market, beside it, where 24 local butchers had their stalls on market day.

In 1808, the toll-booth was described as “ancient and unsightly”. It was obviously in need of repair or replacement, but that didn’t happen until 1853 when the lord of the manor, Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Hildyard, paid for the handsome Italianate stone structure that we see today.

Lt-Col Hildyard’s ancestors had been granted armorial bearings after the Battle of Towton in 1461, but it was his father, the Reverend Henry Hilyard, who had bought the title “Lord of the Manor of Stokesley”, plus the manorial rights, in 1808.

The town hall has had a variety of uses over the centuries. In 1859, it was the home of the Langbaurgh West Savings Bank, which had been established to “encourage the thrift of the townspeople”. It also contained a library, a courtroom and a Mechanics’ Institute, and the parish council had a room in which to hold their meetings, as they do to this day.

In 1919, the town hall and the manorial rights were bought by John Page Sowerby, a local solicitor, and on July 17 of that year, he handed them over as a “Deed of Gift...to the citizens of Stokesley, as a token of respect to those belonging to the parish who had lost their lives in the Great War”. So now the town owned its own town hall.

By the 1920s, the building contained a remarkable collection of stuffed birds and animal heads, arranged from floor to ceiling, kindly donated by Mr Wilson Horsfall of Potto Grange. No trace of these remains.

In the 1930s, people could hire it for concerts, dances and parties for 20 shillings, but breakages had to be paid for on the spot, and the costs were clearly listed. However, it was a good deal as hire of the hall included a piano, and fire and light, “unless otherwise stated”.

This enabled the hall to become the centre of the town for cultural and social events, but by 1965 it was under threat. At the parish council meeting, the clerk, Mr J Benson, said that he understood “a fantastic price” had been offered for the site so that it could become a supermarket and shops, but he stressed that the council would have to have permission from the charity commissioners before selling.

The idea progressed so that architectural drawings were looked at but, by a unanimous vote, the parish council turned down the proposal.

However, the town hall was in decline. The wiring was unsafe and the floorboards were rotten. The toilets needed replacing and there was no lift or disabled access. And the county council was considering closing the library in the Manor House and transferring it to the town hall. It was decision time for Stokesley.

To the rescue came two local heroes, George Carter and Dorothy Blakey and an enthusiastic and dedicated band of volunteers. They felt this was not the right course to take and took on the challenge of refurbishing the building and reopening it within six months. A member of the Town Hall Trust, George was responsible for leading the project, and thanks to the efforts of this trust and the parish council, £80,000 from Biffaward, £25,000 from the Brunton Fund, and the skills of local artists, the building was reborn.

George set up Stokesley Entertainment Club, which hosts films, balls and themed nights and now more than 20 local organisations use the facilities.

The hall is now managed by a group of volunteers, called the Town Hall Management Committee, in conjunction with Julie McLuckie, the parish clerk, and it is flourishing. And last week, Mr Carter received a well deserved British Empire Medal for his part in helping it find its future.