The Old Town Hall

Hemel Hempstead's Town Hall building was erected in 1852 on the site of the Tudor Corn Market. Extensions were added in 1857, 1861 & 1868, part forming a corn exchange. Numbers 42 & 44 form a group with the Town Hall, and these now form the Arts Centre.

In Jacobean style, the Town Hall is red brick dressed with stone. Welsh slated roof with parapets; three curvilinear gables, ground floor segmentally arched windows with arcade on right. The first floor casement windows with stone mullions and transoms and some balconies. The tower has octagonal top stage. The building originally comprised the ballroom, a fine period room with elaborated domed ceiling and civic rooms, until civic needs were superseded by a new building in the 'new town'.

The Old Town Hall has been in performance use since 1978, and was restored in 1986 as an arts centre. The ballroom, used as a theatre since 1850s, now has fixed tiered seating for 120 and a performance area approximately 7.25m wide and 6.5m deep, and with the restored plasterwork creates a delightful Bijou Theatre that can also be used as a cinema. The ground floor houses box office and other offices and the restores stairway leads to a restaurant/bar and on upwards to the theatre. There are three meeting rooms, and a recently-refurbished cellar; this can be used as a studio, holding 80, with raised raked stage 2.44m X 2.44m. All original features have been restored and furnished in cream and deep green throughout, complimenting the mahogany of the stairs and (some) doors. This tones with a delightful vista of an avenue of trees with simple topiary at the rear, visible through the windows, to the church which is approached through the 'arcade'.

Playbills dating back to the 1850s have been professionally restored and hang in homage to the numerous players who visited.