Ye Olde Towne Hall in action:

During its long and productive life, Ye Olde Towne Hall served many historic purposes! It has been a meeting hall, theatre, Clerk’s office, council chambers, library, and even a fire hall before we settled down into the present form of a town hall. Our structure was built in 1906, replacing what had been the Clerk’s office and council meeting grounds. At that time, the population was roughly one thousand - a number quite impressive for its time! Our economy was nurtured by railway shipping and agriculture, though soon began to blossom beyond...

Decades later, In 2001, after the amalgamation of five surrounding municipalities, this venerable building was declared surplus and put up for sale. A small group of women, who were interested in keeping the Ailsa Craig Town Hall for the community, formed a steering committee, soon joined by councilor Ken Johnston. The steering committee drew up a business plan which was presented to the new council of North Middlesex. 

According to the Mission Statement: The Friends of “YE OLDE TOWNE HALL” is a management board dedicated to preserve and manage the building for a variety of uses by the community of North Middlesex.

On August 12, 2002, the Municipality of North Middlesex and Friends of Ye Olde Towne Hall entered into an agreement allowing the Friends to manage the building. 

In November 2002 the Friends formed a permanent board, achieved charitable status and incorporated not for profit.

In the years 2005/2006, an elevator lift was installed thanks to a generous Ontario Trillium Foundation Grant, monies from the “Hydro Fund”, and the Municipality! Since the Towne Hall was built in 1906, installation of its lift coincided with the centennial and a grand celebration was held to mark these two milestones.

 Installation of the lift enabled the Friends to make better use of the auditorium space: Ceilidhs, old time dances, craft shows, fashion shows, and holiday celebrations soon followed. The Towne Hall also became the space for weekly and monthly meetings. For the first time since its threatened state, the building once again lit up. Since then, we have grow stronger and shine brighter every day.

 To see prices, please visit “Hall rentals” section on our website

Ye Olde Towne Hall is not just one large unit. Over the years it has been divided into several components. The main floor includes a clerk’s office, council chamber, document vault, furnace room, and two storage rooms. The upper level has a large auditorium which faces a beautiful stage, and includes a balcony above. Behind and beside the stage, there is a kitchen, and two gendered washrooms. At the back of the auditorium opposite to the stage, there is a storage room to keep our auditorium necessities.

To the rear of the building used to be the policing office and former library. Part of our business plan included renting the former library to provide income for maintaining the building. In 2003, when the local bank decided to close its doors after 104 years, the Sydenham Community Credit Union came to the rescue by opening a branch in the former library.

To quote the 2004 Andrew’s Report, 

“The community mobilized to try to preserve local service, and following packed town-hall meetings, the Ailsa Craig Community Development Committee sought interest from other financial institutions. Sydenham Community Credit Union worked with community representatives to determine the feasibility of opening a credit union location. Survey responses and commitments from community businesses indicated that an Ailsa Craig office could be financially viable, and in April the credit union announced plans to open a full service location with an ATM. By the time of the grand opening in July, 300 residents had already become members of Sydenham Credit Union. 

Growth of the new location surpassed all expectations, with membership exceeding 500 and profitability achieved in the first quarter of 2004. This is a remarkable achievement considering that new deposit-taking outlets typically take years, not months, to reach a break-even point." 

Sydenham Community Credit Union performed incredibly, outgrew their space, then moved to a larger location on Main Street in 2009. With subsequent mergers, it is presently named Mainstreet Credit Union.

Now, our vibrant Ailsa Craig Arts Centre presently occupies the former library/Credit Union area. The ACAC includes seasonal galleries, workshops, lessons, and contagious creativity!