page_title: Benjamin Burstall
section_title: Town Hall, Bolton, 1866–1873
hierarchical_section_title: Benjamin Burstall / Works by Burstall and Taylor / Town Hall, Bolton, 1866–1873
caption_attribution_description: Engraving of Bolton Town Hall, dated 7 June 1873, from the design of William Hill and George Woodhouse, architects.
context_page_description: Benjamin Burstall was a sculptor, architectural sculptor and stone carver, based in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England.
context_section_description: This is a Grade II* listed building by architects William Hill and his assistant George Woodhouse. It was opened on Thursday 5 June 1873, by the Prince and Princess of Wales. Burstall and Taylor were responsible for the main staircase and portico, the lions either side of the steps, and the general sculpture within and without the building. The figures on the pediment are by William Calder Marshall. The specifications for the provision of stone for carving were precise. The interior decoration is by W.B. Simpson.
  In early January 1873 an animal of unknown genus escaped from the local menagerie, stole domestic animals from the town, and hid in the unfinished town hall. It was eventually captured by the landlord of the Eagle and Child public house, the town hall watchman and an English terrier bitch among the town hall rafters. It was subsequently chained up in a room at the pub for public entertainment. The central hall was damaged by fire in 1981 and was rebuilt.
   Media related to Bolton Town Hall at Wikimedia Commons
caption: Bolton Town Hall in 1873
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