Old Town Hall Sheffield: Owner of landmark building faces big financial loss as auction ends

By Gbam Godwin On Nov 27, 2025

Old Town Hall Sheffield: Owner of landmark building faces big financial loss as auction ends.

Gary Ata, a property developer, faces a £100,000 loss after the Old Town Hall was placed up for auction.

The Grade II listed building between Castle Green and Waingate had a guide price of £500,000 at the Mark Jenkinson auction, which began yesterday and ends today (Wednesday, November 26).

The 24-hour auction rapidly generated a bid of £490,000. Nothing happened until a frenzy of last-minute bids this morning. The final bid was £495,500, approximately £4,500 less than the suggested amount.

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It was also £104,500 less than the £600,000 Mr Ata paid for the building in 2021. If offers for a property do not exceed the reference price, a sale is usually not completed unless bidding also fails to reach the secret’reserve’ price, which is the lowest price a seller will accept.

In those cases, the item would typically be withdrawn, but the auctioneer may attempt to arrange a subsequent sale with interested bidders for a price closer to the guide or reserve.

The Old Town Hall, which once served as the city’s town hall and law courts, was built in 1808. It has been unused for 30 years.

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When Mr Ata purchased the property, he registered a business called The Court House Apartments (Sheffield) Ltd, indicating a potential purpose.

The Friends of the Old Town Hall argue that no maintenance or repair work was done during his ownership, and that restoring the building might cost up to £30 million. View our photo gallery to view its current condition.

1. Old Town Hall

Sheffield’s Old Town Hall was up for auction. | Mark Jenkinson

Dating back to 1808, the Old Town Hall was a home of local government and a courthouse, with a spell as police station. It has been disused since 1995 when the courts moved to the new law courts in West Bar.

2. 217 years

The Old Town Hall, constructed in 1808, operated as a local government centre, courthouse, and police station.

It has been inactive since 1995, when the courts moved to the new law courts in West Bar. Mark Jenkinson

Photo of the judge's room in the Old Town Hall in 2022 shows the extent of decay in some areas.
It is from 'Sheffield In Ruins', a book by local publisher Revelations 23 press.

3. Floor missing

The photograph of the judge’s room at the Old Town Hall in 2022 shows the extent of degradation in several areas.

It is from the book ‘Sheffield In Ruins’ by local publisher Revelations 23 Press.

The Friends group say it is important in the city’s history. It is where the bodies of the five men shot dead by the yeomanry at a political demonstration in 1832 were laid.
It’s where victims of the Sheffield Flood in 1864 came for support, where Charlie Peace was arraigned for murder in 1878, where relief following the Sheffield Blitz in 1940 was organised and where trials of striking miners in connection with the coal strike of 1984 spectacularly collapsed.

4. Historically important

According to the Friends group, it is significant to the history of the city. The five men who were shot and killed by the yeomanry during a political protest in 1832 were laid to rest there.

It was the site of relief efforts after the Sheffield Blitz in 1940, where Charlie Peace was charged with murder in 1878, where victims of the Sheffield Flood in 1864 sought assistance, and where the trials of striking miners in relation to the 1984 coal strike spectacularly failed. | Mark Jenkinson.