Town Hall Centenary

Visit the splendid Town Hall in Lynton and you will see an arch on the extreme left of the building. This is no ordinary arch for it is not at ground level for people to pass through and it appears to have no real function. Indeed, many people have wondered why it was put there in the first place!

The Town Hall itself was the gift of Sir George Newnes the founder of Tit�Bits, and owner of Hollerday House, a mansion high on the hill overlooking the town. This wealthy publisher had already provided Lynton and Lynmouth with two of its greatest needs: a cliff railway linking the twin villages and a railway from Barnstaple. On 11th May 1898 Sir George and Lady Newnes arrived at the Lynton Station on the first official train and formally opened the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway. They then rode in a horse-drawn coach down to Lee Road and laid a foundation stone for the Town Hall they had decided to give to Lynton and Lynmouth.

August 15th, 1900
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It was on 15th August 1900 that the opening ceremony for the Town Hall took place. Alighting from his carriage, Sir George was presented with a silver key bearing his coat of arms. He unlocked the main door and stepped inside. A few minutes later he appeared on the balcony and took the cheers of the crowd. After making a short speech, he turned to the Chairman of the Council and handed him the keys to the building. What a gift that was!

Early pictures of the Town Hall show this empty arch but accounts of the opening day make no mention of it. So what was its purpose?

Local tradition has it that Sir George hoped that local residents would find the money for a bronze statue of him to sit in the arch and look out over the town. Sadly, they never managed to do so, though in 1902 they did acknowledge his generosity by subscribing for a marble bust that was placed inside the building.

On 15th August this year, Lynton and Lynmouth will be celebrating the hundredth birthday of its grand old Town Hall. Yet the arch still stands empty. So, it seems fitting that a group of local people has decided to mark the occasion by raising the money for a bronze bust of Sir George to sit in the arch and look out over the town he so loved. The estimated cost is �4000, which is a substantial sum for a small community to raise.