Romsey Town Hall
Romsey Town Hall is a municipal building in the Market Place in Romsey, Hampshire, England. The structure is the meeting place of Romsey Town Council. History The first municipal building in the town was a medieval structure in the Market Place which was described latterly as "a small old house in bad repair". In the 17th century civic leaders decided to buy a house at The Hundred and to convert it for use as a town hall and as a lock-up for petty criminals. In 1736, the 1st Viscount Palmerston acquired Broadlands and thereby became lord of the manor: it was in this building that he preferred to conduct his court business. The building was used for cultural events: an audience of nearly 100 people attended a concert there in 1772 and, during the Swing Riots, the mayor permitted several hundred labourers, as well as the farmers, to attend a meeting at the town hall in 1830. The old building in the Market Place was demolished and replaced by a more substantial market hall known as the "Audit House" on Palmerston's instigation in 1744. This building was arcaded on the ground floor so that markets could be held, with an