The first town hall had its origins in a chapel dedicated to St Mildrith which had been converted into a civic building by the insertion of an upper floor in the 18th century. This building together with an adjacent building standing to the east of it were remodelled with a new facade in the Paladian style by Benjamin Catt in 1818. The internal alterations to consolidate these two buildings properly into one civic space were not completed until 1842. The foundation stone for the current building was laid by the mayor, Ebeneezer Goddard, on 18 April 1866. The new building was designed by the Lincoln firm of architects Bellamy and Hardy in the Victorian style. It was constructed on the site of the old town hall at a cost of £16,000 and was opened by John Patteson Cobbold, the then mayor, in 1868. The adjacent Corn Exchange building, which dates to 1882, became part of the complex in 1972 when it was converted into a theatre at a cost of £800,000. The corn exchange hosted the political debate program Question Time in May 2016.
Design
The building is built in a grand Victorian style with the figure heads of King Richard I, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey and King John decorating the front wall. King Richard I promised the town its first charter but died before it was granted, King John granted the town's charter and Cardinal Wolsey was born and educated in Ipswich. Sitting above the figure heads are four statues representing Commerce, Agriculture, Law and Order and Justice. Placed on the smaller tower sits an open stone work lantern. The tower houses an illuminated four-dial turret striking clock designed by Messrs. Dent of 61 Strand who were the makers of the Big Ben. John Warner & Sons of the Crescent Foundry London, cast the bell that sits in the tower that was made in 1867. When it opened the town hall included a Council Chamber, a Quarter Sessions Court, a library, committee and retiring rooms, Grand and Petty Jury Rooms and a room for the Magistrates' business. The basement included a police station with seven cells and a parade area, a kitchen, offices and space for the Corporation fire engine and hose to be kept. It was subsequently altered to include two art galleries. Works of art contained in the building include a bust of the Duke of Wellington by Peter Turnerelli and a bust, in similar style, of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey by an unknown artist.
