The plot of land on which the Town Hall and Library stand was previously a house and garden occupied by Mr William Thickett, builder. The land and buildings were purchased by Horbury Urban District Council (HUDC) in 1899 from Messrs Baines for 3s 3d per yard (£2,100 in total) for the land and £200 for the house. The new building replaced the old Council Offices on the site of 20 High Street.
At 3pm on 30th July 1902, a grand ceremony was held at which a whole host of local dignitaries and townsfolk witnessed the foundation stone being laid by Councillor Joshua Harrop C.C., chairman of HUDC. Under the stone was placed a time capsule: a bottle containing the new by-laws, a local newspaper, a photo of members of HUDC taken on their visit to Belvoir Castle and some coins. Cllr. Poppleton, as chairman of the General Works Committee, presided over the ceremony.
The architect was Mr W Hanstock, who also designed Ossett Town Hall several years later. Building contractors were Horbury firm Henry Fallas & Sons and the final cost of the Town Hall was £6,100. A wooden war memorial plaque honouring those Horbury men who died in WW1 and rescued from the old St Peter’s School is still in place inside. Brass plaques either side of the main entrance name the Horbury men who served in the Boer War (1899-1902) & the men who served on the first town council to occupy the Town Hall.
The opening ceremony, performed by Cllr Joshua Harrop, took place on 2nd October 1903.
Mr W T Raco, on behalf of the Common Land Trustees, presented a stained glass window for the Council Chamber. This was in memory of Sir Gervaise Clifton who had left land to the township 400 years previously. The Common Lands Trust still meet in the old council chamber.
HUDC was abolished in 1974 & the building is now home to several small businesses.
The land to the left of the Town Hall was developed into a small park, known locally as Sparrow Park but now more formally named Horbury Memorial Park, which houses the town’s war memorial.
http://www.horburyhistory.org/Town-Hall/