Town Hall, were begun in November, 1879.

~Conferences and Congresses~ of all sorts of people have been held here
from time to time, and a few dates are here annexed:--A Conference of
Wesleyan ministers took place in 1836, in 1844, 1854, 1865, and 1879,
being the 136th meeting of that body. Four hundred Congregational
ministers met in Congress Oct. 5, 1862. A Social Science Congress was
held Sept. 30, 1868. A Trades Union Conference Aug. 23, 1869. National
Education League Conference, Oct. 12, 1869. National Republican
Conference, May 12, 1873. Conference on Sanitary Reform, Jan. 14, 1875.
A Co-operative Societies Conference, July 3, 1875. A Conference of
Christians in Needless Alley, Oct. 27, 1875. The Midland Counties'
Church Defence Associations met in the Exchange, Jan. 18, 1876, and on
the 9th of Feb. the advocates for disestablishing and disendowing the
Church said their say in the Masonic Hall, resolutions in favour of
sharing the loaves and fishes being enthusiastically carried by the good
people who covet not their neighbours' goods. A Domestic Economy
Congress was held July 17, 1877. A Church Conference held sittings Nov.
7, 1877. The friends of International Arbitration met in the Town Hall,
May 2, 1878, when 800 delegates were present, but the swords are not yet
beaten into ploughshares. How to lessen the output of coal was discussed
March 5, 1878, by a Conference of Miners, who not being then able to
settle the question, met again June 17, 1879, to calmly consider the
advisableness of laying idle all the coalpits in the country for a time,
as the best remedy they could find for the continued reduction of wages.
The 18th Annual Conference of the British Association of Gas Managers
was held here June 14, 1881, when about 500 of those gentlemen attended.
A considerable amount of gassy talk anent the wonderful future naturally
arose, and an endowment fund of £323 was banked to provide a medal for
"any originality in connection with the manufacture and application of