Withalson Hall

Withalson Hall is a historic marketplace and meeting hall in Charles Town, Sint-Anders Parish. Originally built between 1828 and 1832, it has been the site of several speeches, especially during the Liberal Revolution, with the hall even being referred to as "A Spring of Liberty".

Withalson Hall is the sixth, well-known stop on the Discovery Trail.

History
The original Withalson Hall was built by John Edinbra in 1828–1832, funded by and named after a wealthy merchant from Sint-Anders, Peter Withalson. It consisted of three floors and seven bays. In the final year of construction Edinbra applied Doric brick pilasters. to the lower two floors, with Ionic pilasters on the third floor. Around the assembly hall on the second floor galleries were added.

At the end of the 19th century the building was entirely rebuilt of noncombustible materials. In 1979 the ground floor and basement were altered. Finally, in 1992 Withalson Hall was restored once again. The bell was repaired in 2007 by. Prior to this repair, the last known ringing of the bell with its clapper was at the end of World War II, in 1945, though it had since been rung several times by striking with a mallet.

Now Withalson Hall is part of a larger marketplace, which includes other buildings and operates as an indoor/outdoor mall and food eatery. It is also still used for political debates.

Grasshopper weather vane
The weather vane of Withalson Hall is a copper grasshopper, created in 1832. Gilded with gold leaf, the weather vane weighs 80 pounds (36 kilo) and is 4 feet (1.2 meters) long. The grasshopper is believed to be a symbolic representation of the Irish-Brunanter community.

Knowledge of the weather vane was used as some sort of code during the German Invasion of Brunant to catch spies; suspected spies were asked the identity of the object on the top of the hall, if they answered correctly, then they were free, if not, they were convicted as spies.