QUITE what the stern visages gazing down from the walls would have made of it can only be guessed at.

For after well over 100 years, council debates in Hexham town centre have come to an end.

The sale of Prospect House in Hallgate brings the curtain down on the flowery oratory and impassioned pleas of generations of councillors of all parties.

Back in the 1970s, and for many years before that, Hexham boasted two council chambers – at the Hexham Urban Council offices at Hexham House in Gilesgate, as well as the Hexham Rural District Council headquarters at Prospect House.

With the advent of Tynedale Council in 1974, under the shotgun marriage between the five local authorities covering Hexham, Haltwhistle Bellingham and Prudhoe, the more commodious Prospect House facilities were chosen for council meetings, partly because the new authority boasted well over 50 members.

Both Hexham authorities brought their own impedimenta with them, with the UDC councillors bringing three large oil paintings of former civic leaders with them, as well as framed photographs of former chairmen, and a montage of all councillors and officials in office before the council’s demise.

The RDC contented itself with a couple of portraits of distinguished members, including long-serving chairman John Nevin of Allendale, and the extravagantly Lord Melchett moustachioed inaugural chairman of Tynedale Council, “Squire” John Riddell of Great Swinburn.

The wall is also adorned with a massive portrait of the Queen, as depicted by Italian artist Pietro Annigoni.

Before being acquired for council use in the early years of the Second World War, Prospect House was one of Hexham ’s most successful coaching inns, the Bush - and before that the Bird and Bush.

It offered commodious accommodation and stabling in its 15 spacious rooms, and was also the venue for many dances and jigs in the the ballroom on the second floor with 790 square yards of carpeting not coming close to covering the floor.

Twice a year, the Hexham Hirings proved red letter day for the inn. Six extra men had to be engaged to help with the festivites, when 100 dozen bottles of lemonade, and many more of stronger fare, had to be ordered and served.

The dance floor had to be specially reinforced to cope with the celebrations as six months’ pay was suddenly made available for spending.

Ale was ladled from huge antique punch bowls which for many years were a feature of the Bush.

A minstrel, with concertina or melodeon was engaged and when dancing commenced it cost a halfpenny per person per dance.

Similar festivities took place at the annual County Horse Parade at Hexham.

The main customers were carriers though, as they criss-crossed the district in either covered wagons or open gigs, collecting eggs and butter from outlying farms, and carrying them to markets in Durham, Consett and Newcastle.

The biggest regular day was the Hexham Market Day, when there was great industry in the Bush kitchens where dealers prepared their geese for the Goose Market, held in the public square in front of the inn.

Another big event was the Farmers’ Tithe Dinner, when farmers celebrated paying their tithes to their landlords with turkey dinner followed by Christmas pudding, with each tithe payer also enjoying a fragrant cigar.

It was also used to accommodate soldiers from the Royal Horse Artillery on many occasions, for which the Bush was paid 1s 9d billeting allowance for each soldier and his horse.

The decline of horse-drawn transport with the coming of the motor car mean the Bush went into as steep decline after the First World War, and it closed its doors as an inn on September 30, 1924.

The building was demolished in 1940 for the erection of the new council chamber.

As was the case with all public buildings, smoking was allowed, and all seats had with their own ashtrays, screwed to the back of the seat in front.

The ashtrays remained in place until the more health conscious 1980s, when smoking breaks were introduced at Tynedale Council meetings, and the ashtrays discreetly removed.

Despite being a purpose built council chamber, the acoustics were poor in the building, and even when microphones were installed, much of what was said by councillors and officials was inaudible to those sitting on the back row.

Plans are now in the pipeline to turn the building into flats.

brian.tilley@hexham-courant.co.uk