Oxford Town Hall

About the venue

Grade II* listed Victorian town hall on St Aldate's, opened in 1897 by the future Edward VII. Five rooms are licensed for weddings, including a Court Room with its original dock and a Main Hall for 500 with a Father Willis organ. Ten function rooms host conferences, dinners and Christmas parties, and lectures can take 700.

In the Court Room at Oxford Town Hall, the original dock still leads down to the old police cells. Couples can marry there, on fixed benches for 43 with 50 more in the gallery. The building is the third town hall on the site, designed by Henry Thomas Hare after a competition of more than 300 entries. The Prince of Wales opened it on 12 May 1897.

Within a few years it was part of the 3rd Southern General Hospital, with over 200 beds for soldiers in the First World War. Since then the Main Hall stage has hosted the Rolling Stones and David Bowie, and Nelson Mandela received his Freedom of the City here. The building appears in Inspector Morse, A Fish Called Wanda and The Riot Club. It still serves the council, and the Museum of Oxford is inside.

There are ten function rooms. The Main Hall has a domed ceiling, balconies, a stage and a Father Willis organ, and holds 500 theatre-style or 300 for dinner. The Assembly Room was once the Banqueting Hall and has a timber ceiling, oil paintings and a vast fireplace. The Old Library next door is lined in American walnut. The Council Chamber has hand-carved benches for 106. The Jury, Judges, Plowman and Freemen's Rooms are smaller and take meetings of 12 to 18.

All catering is by Elegant Cuisine, using seasonal, local produce cooked on site or in Kingston Bagpuize. Wi-Fi is free throughout, and the PA systems have induction loops. The building is fully accessible for wheelchair users. Oxford station and the Park and Ride bus stops are a short walk away.

Grade II* listed, opened in 1897

Five rooms licensed for weddings

Main Hall: 500 theatre-style, 300 dining

Court Room with its original dock

Lectures for up to 700

Ten function rooms in the city centre

Elegant Cuisine as sole caterer

Museum of Oxford in the building