Our 'back street' town hall has an imposing presence

Lillywhites, a local company, constructed this original building. Town commissioners were established in 1822 and the first clerk to the commissioners was Richard Daly.

He occupied offices at 31 High Street, sharing these premises with a tailor.

During this period, plans for the town included a market in the Steyne and there is also mention of levying the sum of 1s (5p) duty on each ton of coal that arrived in the town by sea.

This income was used towards building a road system around the rapidly-expanding town. In 1837, Mr William K Wonham was responsible for many constructions in town, one of which was The Assembly Rooms situated in the new Sudley Road.

For a number of years, the town council used this building. It still exists and is used by a number of groups including members of the Bognor Club. During this period, the town council shared these premises with touring entertainment groups.

The Jubilee School was constructed in the High Street in 1817. This is the site now occupied by Morrison's car park. The subscription school was built to educate poor girls. It remained in operation until the 1880s when it closed due to the decline in the requirement for this type of education.

Discussions were held regarding its demolition and replacement by a town hall. It was eventually decided to keep the building and council surveyor Mr Stringfellow converted the school at a cost of 500 into a new town hall ready for use from 1882. Thus the town council operated from this site until the 1920s when plans came into fruition for another venue.

In 1927, when the town's population stood at about 17,000, it was closed and demolished and, within seven years, the Southdown Bus Company built a bus station on the site.

In 1929, the fortunes of the town changed. The town received the royal accolade of Regis. It was the task of the Special Purposes Committee

to consider numerous sites for the new town hall, which included Claremont Place, West Street, Hothamton Place, Waterloo Square and the Royal Clarence Hotel.

The town's surveyor discussed with the Royal Institute of British Architects the possibility of arranging an architectural competition to design a new building. The brief for the work and competition rules were sent out to 91 companies.

Bognorians were not happy with the plans. Once made aware of the site, one report stated that it would be located in a 'back street of the town'. The report continued that the 'town will regret (the decision) as long as it exists'. However, it is hardly a back street now.

At a ceremony on May 22, 1929, two foundation stones were laid for the new town hall in Clarence Road.

One stone was laid by William Grice, who had been a council member for 36 years. Council chairman the Rev Canon A J Sacre, JP, along with Joseph Jubb, laid the other. Mrs E Sacre performed the official opening ceremony on October 11, 1930.

The general feeling was that the new structure, in the fashionable neo-Georgian style, 'seemed to be worthy of civic headquarters'.

The construction of this imposing town hall was headed by H W Seymour. There is a small stone inlaid at the front of the building to denote his work. There is another stone in the faade of the building showing the involvement of architect Mr C Vowles-Voysey, who had won the competition to design this new construction.

He was involved in many constructions along the south coast, including the White Rock Pavilion at Hastings, which won a national design competition in 1922.

He also designed buildings in Watford and Cambridge and his designs in Worthing were included in a list of outstanding buildings of the 1930s.

He died at the age of 91 in 1981. When the building was formally opened on Monday October 6, 1929, it was described as being 'of high architectural merit '“ neat but not gaudy'.

In 1974, the Government re-organised local administration and the municipalities of Bognor Regis, Littlehampton and Arundel were merged to form Arun District Council.

This reduced the Bognor Regis Town Hall to the status of a branch office. However the dignified oak-panelled council chamber is still used for meetings by the new authority.

Outside the town hall stands the town's memorial to the dead of two world wars. The first world war memorial had originally been located in the High Street, in the vicinity of Hatters. Every year, the town honours its dead at the Remembrance Service held outside the town hall. This was also the site of the town's floral tributes to Princess Diana when she died in 1997.

In 1992, the town hall was used as the focal point for celebrations at the commencement of the bicentenary of the town, when cannons were fired at 11am on January 18 to announce the start of the birthday year. Within the building hangs the portrait of Sir Richard Hotham, the town's founder. The painting of him in his old age is reputed to be by George Romney.

Similar to most towns and cities around the country, town halls were catapulted into new uses for the duration of the second world war.

Not least was its use as a surface air raid shelter. The front entrance was bricked up and it had a sign advising that its capacity was 22 people. There are pictures showing men of the Home Guard on a training exercise during a mock attack on the town hall.

In 1943 there was concern that the tower might be used by the Germans to pinpoint the town. Discussions were held to ascertain the cost of camouflaging the top. After much discussion, it was decided that the 25 required for such a task was too expensive.

To mark the millennium, the town council decided that after so many years there should be a timepiece on the town hall and this would be a fitting way to celebrate the millennium.

Over the years, the building has seen many changes in use.

Citizen's Advice Bureau, rates collection, community service and other organisations have all used the building and no doubt it will have further uses in the future. But it cannot be denied that it is an impressive building, albeit in a 'back street'.

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