Fire Station

The first municipal building in the town was a timber-framed market hall which dated back to the 16th century. It was arcaded on the ground floor, so that markets could be held, with an assembly room known as the "jury loft", which was used for petty session hearings, on the first floor. The building had a clock on the gable at the west end and was surmounted by a bell tower. It was owned by the lord of the manor, who, in the 16th century, was Sir Christopher Hoddesdon, master of the Company of Merchant Adventurers: it subsequently passed through inheritance to Lord Leigh of Stoneleigh Abbey and his successors. The new building was designed in the neoclassical style, built in red brick with…