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The Exchange Hall in Broad Street, designed by Stamford architect Edward Browning, was built in 1858 to act as a corn exchange and house entertainments. It suffered severe fire damage during Mid-Lent Fair Week 1925 and was restored the following year by F J Lenton of Messrs Traylen and Lenton, successors to the architectural practice of Edward Browning. During its history the Corn Exchange has been used as a roller skating rink, cinema, auction room, and for much of this time continuing to act as a theatre and dance hall.

Broad Street has been a market area in Stamford from earliest times and parts of the street were known as Beastmarket and Haymarket from the Middle Ages. The western part of the street, where the Corn Exchange now stands, had been known as Commarket from at least the 18th century.By the early 19th century there was a need for a covered corn market in the town and this was satisfied for a time by the erection of a glass roofed arcade immediately in front ofBrowne's Hospital. It was soon seen to be inadequate and in 1856 a group of local landowners and farmers established the Corn Exchange Company with a capital of £4,000. Two years later the company purchased the Black Swan Inn opposite Browne's Hospital and the new building was complete within a year. It opened as a corn exchange on 28 January 1859, the first concert being held there four weeks later. It was built by local builder. Henry Bradshaw, and cost £1,744.

The building, as designed by Edward Browning, consisted of a large hall plus ancillary rooms, and its striking features were the facade and roof. The facade, built of local Little Casterton freestone, boasted a large central mullioned and transomed window in a plain late-15th century Gothic style, fine carvings in panels of a plough and wheatsheaf, and highly individual and ornamental carved lettering 'EXCHANGE HALL' similarly proclaimed its use. The facade differed from the present building in that the entrances were via the (now blocked) arches, left and right; the groundfloor central area contained small lancet windows. The facade is illustrated in Building News, 22 April 1859, p. 380. The roof was unusual in that it was of semi-circular shape supported by bent laminated timber ribs, based on French riding schools, as at Saumur and Aire. Much of the covering was of glass, ribbed to deflect direct sunlight. Ventilation was by means of valved vents in the spandrels above the blind arcading of the main hall side walls. There was a gallery in the hall but at the opposite end to that existing today.

The building remained unaltered until the early 20th century and the first indication of major change came in 1909 when it was noted as being used as a roller skating rink. In 1920 it became the 'Electric Cinema', which is possibly when the central entrance was established.Use as a cinema continued until 1956, though under different names; the 'Picture Place' and
Picturedrome
On the night of 25 March 1925 after recent refurbishment the building caught fire causing damage to the extent of £10,000. Only the facade, walls and cellars were left. Restoration was undertaken the following year by F J Lenton, of Traylen and Lenton. He
blocked the large central window of the facade, erected a proscenium arch at the southern end of the hall and a gallery at the northern end. Moveable cinema type seating, stored beneath the stage when not in use, was installed. The ceiling was of plain segmental shape with large shutters under a steel framed roof of conventional triangular pitch, the central part
being glazed for much of its length. This building survives virtually intact to the present. Since the 1960s the building has been used as auction rooms, and an antique centre while continuing to house local theatrical productions.



		Staging a Revival at Stamford

The Exchange Hall in Broad Street, designed by Stamford architect Edward Browning, was built in 1858 to act as a corn exchange and house entertainments. It suffered severe fire damage during Mid-Lent Fair Week 1925 and was restored the following year by F J Lenton of Messrs Traylen and Lenton, successors to the architectural practice of Edward Browning. During its history the Corn Exchange has been used as a roller skating rink, cinema, auction room, and for much of this time continuing to act as a theatre and dance hall. Broad Street has been a market area in Stamford from earliest times and parts of the street were known as Beastmarket and Haymarket from the Middle Ages. The western part of the street, where the Corn Exchange now stands, had been known as Commarket from at least the 18th century.By the early 19th century there was a need for a covered corn market in the town and this was satisfied for a time by the erection of a glass roofed arcade immediately in front ofBrowne's Hospital. It was soon seen to be inadequate and in 1856 a group of local landowners and farmers established the Corn Exchange Company with a capital of £4,000. Two years later the company purchased the Black Swan Inn opposite Browne's Hospital and the new building was complete within a year. It opened as a corn exchange on 28 January 1859, the first concert being held there four weeks later. It was built by local builder. Henry Bradshaw, and cost £1,744. The building, as designed by Edward Browning, consisted of a large hall plus ancillary rooms, and its striking features were the facade and roof. The facade, built of local Little Casterton freestone, boasted a large central mullioned and transomed window in a plain late-15th century Gothic style, fine carvings in panels of a plough and wheatsheaf, and highly individual and ornamental carved lettering 'EXCHANGE HALL' similarly proclaimed its use. The facade differed from the present building in that the entrances were via the (now blocked) arches, left and right; the groundfloor central area contained small lancet windows. The facade is illustrated in Building News, 22 April 1859, p. 380. The roof was unusual in that it was of semi-circular shape supported by bent laminated timber ribs, based on French riding schools, as at Saumur and Aire. Much of the covering was of glass, ribbed to deflect direct sunlight. Ventilation was by means of valved vents in the spandrels above the blind arcading of the main hall side walls. There was a gallery in the hall but at the opposite end to that existing today. The building remained unaltered until the early 20th century and the first indication of major change came in 1909 when it was noted as being used as a roller skating rink. In 1920 it became the 'Electric Cinema', which is possibly when the central entrance was established.Use as a cinema continued until 1956, though under different names; the 'Picture Place' and Picturedrome On the night of 25 March 1925 after recent refurbishment the building caught fire causing damage to the extent of £10,000. Only the facade, walls and cellars were left. Restoration was undertaken the following year by F J Lenton, of Traylen and Lenton. He blocked the large central window of the facade, erected a proscenium arch at the southern end of the hall and a gallery at the northern end. Moveable cinema type seating, stored beneath the stage when not in use, was installed. The ceiling was of plain segmental shape with large shutters under a steel framed roof of conventional triangular pitch, the central part being glazed for much of its length. This building survives virtually intact to the present. Since the 1960s the building has been used as auction rooms, and an antique centre while continuing to house local theatrical productions.












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