Maitland Town Hall: the 1890 hall, its rooms and what fits where
Opened in 1890, refurbished for $2 million in 2015-16 and now with new backstage facilities, Maitland's town hall is the Hunter's grand 19th-century stage. Room-by-room capacities from the council's own brochure, and the history behind the facade.
Maitland Town Hall is the Victorian civic hall on High Street in Central Maitland, New South Wales. It opened on 28 February 1890 and is listed on the NSW State Heritage Register. Its main hall is used for concerts, theatre, weddings and conferences, and seats up to 320 in a theatre layout. It is run by Maitland City Council.
Searching for Maitland Town Hall can also bring up the town hall in Maitland, South Australia, a different building. This page is about the one in the Hunter.
The rooms and how many each holds
The council's brochure lists the hall's spaces and their capacities in each layout:
| Room | Area | Theatre | Banquet | Cocktail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main Hall | 469 m² + 180 m² stage | 320 | 208 | 300 |
| Evans Room | 200 m² | 196 | 96 | 150 |
| Maitland Room | 110 m² | 55 | 48 | 50 |
| Heritage Room | 34 m² | 25 | 8 | |
| Paterson Room | 35 m² | 25 | 8 | |
| Hunter Room | 36 m² | 25 | ||
| Committee Room 1 | 36 m² | 25 | ||
| Foyer | 148 m² | 100 |
Cabaret layouts seat 104 in the main hall, 48 in the Evans Room and 24 in the Maitland Room.
Two details in the brochure are worth knowing. The main hall's theatre figure is 320 on the floor, or 316 using floor seating together with the retractable seating, and the brochure's own description elsewhere says "up to 300 guests theatre style". The council also notes that seated capacities may change with table size. If you are planning an event, ask the council which figure applies to your layout before selling tickets.
The main hall has dressing rooms and a green room, which makes it workable for a dance school concert or touring show, not only for functions.
What to check before a show there
- Which room. Smaller shows and talks may be in the Evans Room, not the main hall.
- The seating layout. A flat-floor hall with retractable seating gives different sightlines from a raked theatre; ask whether your tickets are on the flat floor or in the retractable rows.
- Getting there. Central Maitland has its own railway station, and the council describes the hall as two hours north of Sydney and 35 minutes from Newcastle Airport.
For comparison with a purpose-built theatre, the Cessnock theatre's auditorium and seating are covered in our Cessnock Performing Arts Centre guide.
A short history
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1888 | Foundation stone laid on 26 January; design by Lee and Scobie, who won a design competition, built by Henry Noad |
| 1890 | Opened on 28 February |
| 1901 | Edmund Barton opened his government's campaign for the first federal election at the hall on 17 January |
| 1934 | A £10,000 extension added offices, a supper room and stage improvements |
| 1999 | Listed on the NSW State Heritage Register on 2 April |
| 2015-16 | A $2 million refurbishment of lighting, audiovisual, air conditioning and acoustics |
| 2021-22 | Upgrades with the new Maitland Administration Centre, including backstage facilities and a loading dock |
The building's Victorian Classical facade has a symmetrical front with a central tower and Corinthian columns.
Hiring the hall
Bookings are made through Maitland City Council's online booking system. Our venue hire guide sets out the questions a school, dance studio or company should ask any venue before signing a hire agreement.