Sutton Coldfield Town Hall

Sutton Coldfield Town Hall is a theatre and events venue in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, England, and a Grade A locally listed building. Erected in the early 20th century, it formed part of a complex of municipal buildings, among them the adjoining Council House (which had originally been built as a hotel in the mid-19th century). Previously, a succession of moot halls in various locations had served the civic requirements of the borough since the 16th century.

In 1528 Sutton Coldfield was granted a royal charter of incorporation, which authorised the inhabitants to build a moot hall for the holding of court leets, elections and other gatherings.

The first moot hall was built by John Vesey, Bishop of Exeter, on a site at the top of Mill Street; it also contained a market house and a dungeon. It was demolished following structural instability caused by the collapse of an upper floor due to the weight of crowds attending the funeral of Thomas Dawney in 1671. There were no fatalities or serious injuries.

A second moot hall was constructed on the same site soon after demolition. It remained in use up until 1854 when it too became structurally unsafe resulting in its demolition.

In 1859 a 'new Town-hall, or Moot-hall as it is termed' was erected on a new site, further down Mill Street, alongside the old workhouse (which had closed in 1840). The new building was designed in the gothic style by George Burkitt of Wolverhampton; the foundation stone was laid in August 1858, and the building was formally opened on 27 September 1859 by Lord Leigh. The building contained a library and reading room on the ground floor, together with a magistrates' court (which had its own entrance at the north end); while on the first floor were the Corporation-room and a large Assembly-room. When first built, there was a 64-foot (20 m) clock tower above the entrance, (containing an hour-striking clock by Smith & Sons of Clerkenwell), but this was later demolished.

The borough was reformed under the Municipal Corporations Act 1883: in 1885 a new charter was issued, which replaced the former corporation (which had been termed the 'Warden and Society of the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield') with a mayor, aldermen and councillors; they continued to use the moot hall for their meetings.

The building on Mill Street was converted into a masonic hall upon the opening of the new town hall. The neighbouring almshouses were removed in 1924 and the occupants moved to newly constructed almshouses in Walmley, in the southern area of Sutton Coldfield.

The current building has its origins in the Royal Hotel which was built in 1865 on a small hill above the newly opened railway station to serve the needs of visitors to the town. Throughout its short life, the hotel was beset with financial difficulties and closed in 1895. Lieutenant Colonel Wilkinson purchased the hotel in 1896 and converted it for use as a sanatorium.