TUESDAY marks the 100th anniversary of the official opening of Barry Town Hall.

And on Saturday (April 19), the council has organised a party on King Square, with music and face painting, to celebrate.

A hundred years ago, on April 22, the Barry Boys String Band played as members of the Barry Urban District Council celebrated the opening of the new town hall - their new offices.

The hall had taken five years to plan and build.

It was designed by London based architects, C E Hutchinson and E Harding Payne, after they won a design competition in 1903 with their plans for the building.

The building was to be a town hall and library, and the library was built first with a grant from the Carnegie Fund.

The town hall was then built at a cost of £7,488. The two buildings were later attached by a clock tower.

Originally there were to be two phases of the town hall, but the second phase was scrapped.

The hall was used as the offices for the council until 1981, when it had a 20-year period of closure. It was feared that the town hall would be sold to commercial developers, but the council ensured it was kept it for the use of the community - it was refurbished in 2001, and the adjoining library was refurbished in 2006.

Today the hall houses the Vale Mayor's parlour and an exhibition area, which is currently housing an exhibition entitled Past and Present - a celebration of the past 25 years of life in Barry.

Dilys Colburne, secretary of Barry Citizens' action group, and co-ordinator of the exhibition, said: "The hall is a lovely light space and it's something the people of Barry can be proud of."

June Young who was visiting the exhibition said: "It is a fantastic exhibition and great to see so many memories on the walls."

Mrs Colburn added: "I think the town hall has a bright future - it could be used for local artists to exhibit jewellery or patchwork, and drama groups could have workshops here too. The possibilities are endless."

Saturday's party is open to all and will take place on King Square from 1pm to 3pm.

There will be a jazz band, a circus for children, a face painter, stilt walker and balloon modelling. The Barry photographic exhibition runs until Saturday.