Town Hall Museum + Gallery

A new era for the old Town Hall and Court House.

The St Albans Museum + Gallery opened on 8 June 2018 after the St Albans Museums and Galleries Trust raised £1.7 million from the public, charitable trusts and local businesses to fund a renovation project.

The Town Hall, dating from 1832, was originally the Court House and Council Assembly hall. By the time of the millenium it was suffering from lack of maintenance and uncertainty about its role in the City. It is now the city’s Museum + Gallery. The redesign cleverly incorporated two significant additions. First, excavation below the entrance hall creating a fine exhibition gallery capable of taking the most sensitive works. Second, two glazed links were added on the first floor, on either side of the courtroom, linking back rooms of the building with major spaces to the front. These give views down into the courtroom, and out over the city. The Assembly Room was restored to its prime with three large chandeliers that underlined its splendour, and double glazing added for improved insulation. The Society considered this to be a clever and sensitive regeneration of a fine building and an achievement which has restored the building’s architectural dignity and strengthened its significance in the life of the city and it was the Society’s Award  winner for 2018.

A book charting the history of St Albans iconic old town hall has been published by the St Albans & Hertfordshire Architectural & Archaeological Society. The author Chris Green, former director of St Albans Museums, has studied almost every inch of the building. He has drawn on his extensive knowledge and experience to write this definitive, fully illustrated guide to its history and use over almost 200 years. Original plans for the neo-classical building by architect George Smith are included in the book.

The old town hall originally served as a place of local justice, with the local seat of government occupying just one large room. In 1851 the Bribery Commission held court in the building to investigate the ‘cash for votes’ scandal that resulted in St Albans losing its parliamentary representation for a period of time.

Below we produce the press release from when the project commenced.

St Albans Museum And Art Gallery Project Chooses Architects For Major £7.75m Renaissance Project

Architects John McAslan + Partners and exhibition designers Urban Salon have been appointed to develop the plans for St Albans’ new museum and art gallery project

The new museum and gallery will transform the Grade II* listed Town Hall in the heart of St Albans to showcase 2,000 years of the City’s heritage. St Albans City and District Council is working with St Albans Museums and Galleries Trust and the University of Hertfordshire Galleries on the £7.75m project.

John McAslan + Partners has extensive experience in the regeneration of heritage buildings. This award-winning practice was responsible for the redevelopment of King’s Cross station. It also transformed the Camden Roundhouse, a former a steam engine repair shed into a culture and entertainment venue. The practice’s ethos of creating architecture to improve people’s lives will be particularly relevant in redeveloping the Grade II* listed Town Hall for public use and advice from English Heritage will ensure the building’s continued protection.

Cllr Annie Brewster, Portfolio Holder for Sports, Leisure and Heritage for St Albans City and District Council, said: “The appointment of architects and designers is a real milestone along the road to delivering a wonderful new state-of-the-art museum and art gallery in the centre of St Albans. “They will bring their impressive proven design talents to help transform our beautiful Grade II* listed Town Hall into a great visitor attraction for our City..”

Urban Salon will design a dynamic and flexible exhibition space to showcase over 2,000 years of the City’s heritage and the museum’s collection within the Town Hall. The space will be used to provide community learning and enjoyment and to accommodate a contemporary exhibition programme for art and culture. The design studio will also create a flexible exhibition kit including display cases which will enable the museum to evolve and adapt its displays easily. Urban Salon was selected for their extensive experience of museum design and interpretation projects. Their previous clients include the British Library, Victoria & Albert Museum and Southampton City Council’s SeaCity.

The new museum and gallery project has secured a development grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Work is now underway to create the new museum and art gallery. The Council has committed to contributing £3.25m to the project.

In addition, the St Albans Museums and Galleries Trust is seeking to raise a further £1.7 million from the public, charitable trusts and local businesses.