[3] The foundation stone for the new building was laid by the chairman of the development committee, Robert Ramsay, on 27 June 1857.

The fourth bay, which was also projected forward but to a lesser extent, featured a three-stage tower, with sash windows in the first two stages and a square structure fenestrated by a round headed window in the third stage; it was surmounted by an ogee-shaped dome and a weather vane.

[6] It was also used for concerts: performers included the singing group, Christy's Minstrels, in October 1864,[7] the soprano singer, Thérèse Tietjens, in February 1866,[8] and the tenor vocalist, Sims Reeves, in November 1867.

[9] The use of the building as a corn exchange declined significantly in the wake of the Great Depression of British Agriculture in the late 19th century.

[10] However, it continued to be used for public events: the former local member of parliament, Viscount Grey, who served as Foreign Secretary during the First World War, returned to the corn exchange to give a wide-ranging speech about British foreign policy in October 1921.