The Borough Hall and Market Buildings were opened in 1866 and housed a covered market and the Police Station. The building was designed by C J Adam of Stockton in Italianate style. The central feature is the turreted tower, decorated with a medallion bearing the Borough Arms. It was re-opened after an £800,000 refurbishment. As the largest public building in Hartlepool, it provides a venue for various entertainment as diverse as The Music and Beer Festival, BBC Question Time, the annual Horticultural Show, North East Model Scale Show and the Hartlepool Chess Congress. Morrissey, The Chippendales and Billy Connolly have also appeared here. Some of the former police cells are now the toilets for people using the Constable's bar. The doors leading to the toilets are the original ones from the prison cells and still feature the original viewing hatches and bars on the inside windows. Upstairs, the old magistrates' court still remains now known as the Croft Room http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/council-services-az/B-is-for-Borough-Hall.4404987.jp