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The Yelde hall around 1901 - 1911 when it was used as an armoury

CONSIDERED by many as the most impressive medieval building in Wiltshire, the Yelde Hall in Chippenham has had many uses throughout the years.

The hall was built in the 15th century as a Market House and meeting place for the town and used by the burgess, now the town mayor.

It was also used for court hearings, and space underneath the council chamber was used as the town gaol.

Dr Kay Taylor, who has researched the building, said: "It is probable that the Yelde Hall had been a municipal building from the start.

"The lord of the manor held his court there and the room below the council chamber was used as the town lock-up, for holding drunks overnight and for housing prisoners en route to the county gaol.

"One can imagine lively debates in there at the time of the War of the Roses and then reactions to Henry VIII's reformation of the church."

In 1841 the council and burgess moved into new premises at the town hall and the Yelde Hall became the Chippenham Savings Bank.

This only lasted five years until the Chippenham detachment of Wiltshire Regiment Volunteer Rifle Corps took over the premises in 1846.

The Yelde hall

The corps used the building as an armoury for more than 50 years, during which time almost no interior changes took place.

This all changed when the building became the Chippenham fire station.

Fire crews needed much more interior space and so knocked down nearly all the internal walls.

They also added two large doors to the end gable to give easy access to the fire engine.

The fire service used the Yelde Hall for 45 years before moving to its current location on Dallas Road.

During this time the only remaining shops and stalls, which had surrounded the building since the 16th century, were demolished.

The hall remained empty for a number of years before the borough council turned it into a museum.

After several years of interior alterations, Chippenham Museum opened on October 25 1963. It attracted huge numbers of visitors and slowly outgrew the building.

In 1999 the museum was moved to its current location around the corner on Market Place.

In March 2003, North Wiltshire District Council took over the hall and leased it to Chippenham Town Council.

Following substantial restoration, the town council opened the hall as a tourist information office.

It is now the biggest tourist information centre in Wiltshire, attracting huge numbers of visitors each year.

The timber exterior of the building has hardly been touched since it was built nearly 600 years ago and it remains one of the town's most attractive buildings.

3:31pm Thursday 28th February 2008

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