Historical voting building in need of £50k repairs

A Grade-II Listed "town hall" building is in need of £50,000 worth of repairs in order to protect it from weather damage, its owners say.

The Town Hall, a temple-style structure with a voting urn in Gatton Park, near Reigate in Surrey, was used to vote in members of parliament in what was known as a "rotten borough", where there were very few voters, until 1832.

Now, The Gatton Trust - which runs the grounds - said weather had "taken its toll" and action was needed to stop the structure falling into disrepair.

Louise Miller, chief executive of the trust, said: "The Town Hall is an important part of our political heritage."

She added: "Sadly, the weather has taken its toll and action is needed now to maintain this monument for future generations to enjoy and reflect on the evolution of democracy in the UK."

The structure was built in 1765 and added to by Sir George Colebrooke, then MP for Arundel, who lived on the grounds.

The urn was used during elections, where two MPs would be voted in by a very small number of voters.

By the time the borough was abolished in 1832, just seven voters took part in each election.

A spokesperson for the trust said the wooden fringes around the roof of the building needed to be stripped of layers of paint before being rebuilt and protected using proper materials, due to its listed status.

The six cast-iron columns would also require work in order to restore the building, Miller added.

The Gatton Trust said it would launch a crowdfunding campaign aiming to raise £2,500 to help with the works.

The Gatton Park site itself fell into disrepair during World War Two, but has been maintained by a team of volunteers since the 1990s.

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