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The Town
Barnard Castle has been recognised nationally as one of the 50 most historically and architecturally important towns in Great Britain and listed in The Sunday Times Best Places to Live in Britain. The Grade II listed Witham Hall is an important, central feature of the townscape, located where Horsemarket meets the Market Place.
The Hall
The Witham Testimonial was built by public subscription as a memorial to Henry T.M. Witham of Lartington, a palaeobotanist and philanthropist who had strived to make provision for the medical and educational needs of Barnard Castle before his death in 1844. Hence the building, which opened in 1846, housed the Mechanics’ Institute and a Dispensary for the Relief of the Sick Poor. By 1860, a large music hall had been built to the rear of the Testimonial Building, whilst the premises later incorporated several small cottages in Hall Street. Together these buildings became known as The Witham and have continued to be used by the people of Barnard Castle as a backdrop for celebration, for participation and for people to gain new experiences.
2013 marks the culmination of over 10 years work to raise money and carry out work to restore its historic fabric and make The Witham fit-for-purpose as a fully accessible modern arts venue for the 21st century. The redevelopment project has seen the original Grade II listed Witham buildings restored, and a new link building constructed between the Witham Testimonial and the Event Hall, incorporating a foyer area, café bar and toilets. In addition, Durham County Council has extended and refurbished its Library building to the rear of The Witham buildings, to include new council offices and a customer access point as well as the continued Library service.
Funding of the project principally came from Durham County Council investing over £2 million with match funding of £336,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and £773,879 from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The ERDF funding is part of a wider programme which has brought more than £300 million to the North East. The Witham and Library development project was led by Barnard Castle Vision, Durham County Council and The Witham Directors.
Features
Hire Charges: Contact the hall directly Registered Charity Number: 1146726
Contact
01833 631107 Email: info@thewitham.org.uk
The Witham, 3 Horsemarket, Barnard Castle DL12 8LY Registered Charity Number: 1146726
Facilities
WC
On Street Parking
Ramp (down)
Ramp (up)
Wheelchair Access to Side (by prior arr.)
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Event Information:
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Hiring the halls
The Village Halls Consortium has 36 member village halls in beautiful countryside locations in Teesdale and the surrounding area. Each hall is unique but each offers excellent facilities and a variety of services to suit your business, private or social equirements.
For Business Use
Teesdale's close proximity to major towns and cities of the North East make the village halls an ideal choice for business 'away days', meetings and training sessions. They have all the facilities you need to hold your business event and offer excellent value for money.
Conference equipment - including digital projector, PA sound equipment, Stage Lighting, Display and Exhibition boards, Flipcharts, trolley and screen are held by The Village Halls Consortium and may be hired for any event.For Private and Social Use
The halls are ideal venues for social events such as parties, wedding receptions, community functions, sales and fairs, coffee mornings, rehearsals and social evenings. Several halls have fully licensed bars and many of the other halls have bar facilities for which applications for licences can be made.
Most of the halls have a stage making them ideal for theatre, concerts and parties.
The halls welcome new user groups such as sports and hobby classes, drama, arts and craft groups as well as regular group meetings such as the WI and.
The halls have experience in holding all types of events and charge competitive prices offering great value for money. They can provide everything you need for an enjoyable event!
Each hall handles their own bookings; if you would like to hire one of the halls please visit The Halls pages for booking secretary contact details or contact villagehallsconsort@hotmail.co.uk