Council House, Coventry

Last updated

Council House, Coventry
The Council House
Coventry Council House.jpg
Council House in its setting at Council House Square
Council House, Coventry
General information
Architectural style Tudor Revival
Classification
Listed Building – Grade II
Designated24 June 1974
Reference no. 1342927
AddressEarl Street
Town or city Coventry
CountryUnited Kingdom
Coordinates 52°24′26″N1°30′28″W / 52.4072°N 1.5079°W / 52.4072; -1.5079
Construction started1913
Completed1917
Opened11 June 1920 (1920-06-11)
Owner Coventry City Council
Technical details
Floor count4
Design and construction
Architect(s)Edward Garrett, Henry Walter Simister
Website
www.coventry.gov.uk/directory_record/66/the_council_house

The Council House, Coventry in Coventry, England, is a Tudor Revival style city hall building which is the home of Coventry City Council and the seat of local government. It was built in the early 20th century. It is a Grade II-listed building. [1]

Contents

History

The Council House was commissioned to replace St Mary's Guildhall as the headquarters of the mayor and city corporation. [2] The site on Earl Street had previously been occupied by a row of shops. [3] A design for new municipal offices on the site was approved in 1895, but a dispute then arose as to whether shops should be incorporated into the ground floor of the new buildings; this was not swiftly resolved and, though the site was cleared, it remained vacant for over a decade. [4]

It was finally resolved to proceed without shops; the competitive process for a new design was announced in 1910 and won by architects Edward Garrett and Henry Walter Simister of Birmingham. The brief had been for designs to be submitted for both municipal offices and a town hall, to be envisioned 'as a single scheme' but with the caveat that the town hall might not (or not immediately) be built, as indeed turned out to be the case. [4]

The new Council House was designed in the Elizabethan style, [5] as stipulated by the Borough Corporation, to be in keeping with the old St Mary's Guildhall to the rear. [4] The foundation stone was laid on 12 June 1913 and the building was completed in 1917, [6] although, because of the First World War, the official opening by the Duke of York only took place on 11 June 1920. [7]

It was mainly an office building, designed to accommodate 1,500 people working across the various different municipal departments (ranging from the Town Clerk and City Treasurer to medical, police, education and waterworks officials); but it also contained large formal rooms such as the Council Chamber, Mayor's Parlour and various committee rooms, many of which were decorated with carvings representing the Forest of Arden. [4] The exterior was clad in Runcorn stone and roofed with Cotswold stone. A large clock tower was built, topped by a figure of St Michael; the clock was built by J. Smith & Sons of Derby, working to Simister's ornamental design (dated 1914, is a timepiece: although there is a capacious belfry there are no bells). [8]

Statues designed by Henry Wilson depicting Leofric (who founded monasteries in Coventry), Godiva (who was patron of the local monasteries) and Justice were installed above the entrance in 1924. [9] [10]

During the Second World War, the bombings on the night of 14 November 1940, known as the Coventry Blitz, gave rise to some damage to the building including the destruction of the stained glass windows. [11] The former Duke of York returned to the Council House as King George VI to survey the damage in the aftermath of the raid. [11]

In September 2017 the council moved some 1,500 staff to its new 13-storey tower block at One Friargate. [12] [13] They had previously been housed in a large Civic Centre complex, dating in part from the 1950s, [14] which had faced the east wing of the Council House, and which had latterly been linked to it by a metal walkway over Earl Street (dating from the 1970s). [15] The former Civic Centre was largely demolished after the council had moved out. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenilworth</span> Market town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England

Kenilworth is a market town and civil parish in the Warwick District in Warwickshire, England, 6 miles (10 km) south-west of Coventry, 5 miles (8 km) north of Warwick and 90 miles (140 km) north-west of London. It lies on Finham Brook, a tributary of the River Sowe, which joins the River Avon 2 miles (3 km) north-east of the town. At the 2021 Census, the population was 22,538. The town is home to the ruins of Kenilworth Castle and Kenilworth Abbey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Town hall</span> Chief administrative building of a municipality

In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre, guildhall, or municipal building is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city or town council, its associated departments, and their employees. It also usually functions as the base of the mayor of a city, town, borough, county or shire, and of the executive arm of the municipality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Coventry</span>

Coventry, a city in the West Midlands, England, grew to become one of the most important cities in England during the Middle Ages due to its booming cloth and textiles trade. The city was noted for its part in the English Civil War, and later became an important industrial city during the 19th and 20th centuries, becoming the centre of the British bicycle and later motor industry. The devastating Blitz in 1940 destroyed much of the city centre, and saw its rebuilding during the 1950s and 60s. The motor industry slumped during the 1970s and 80s, and Coventry saw high unemployment. However, in the new millennium the city, along with many others saw significant urban renaissance and in 2017 it was announced that the city had been awarded the title of 2021 UK City of Culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southampton Civic Centre</span> Municipal building in Southampton, Hampshire, England

The Civic Centre is a municipal building located in the Cultural Quarter area within the city of Southampton, England. It comprises offices occupied by Southampton City Council, the SeaCity Museum, the Guildhall, the Southampton City Art Gallery, and the city library. It was designed by the English architect Ernest Berry Webber in the Classical style in 1929 and constructed over a ten-year period. It was completed in 1939. Pevsner's Hampshire: South describes it as "the most ambitious civic building erected in the provinces in the interwar years". It was designated as a Grade II* listed building in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coventry City Council</span>

Coventry City Council is the local government body responsible for the governance of the City of Coventry in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swansea Guildhall</span> Municipal Building in Swansea, Wales

The Guildhall is one of the main office buildings of the City and County of Swansea Council. The Guildhall complex, which includes the City Hall, Brangwyn Hall and the County Law Courts for Swansea, is a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portsmouth Guildhall</span> Municipal building in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England

Portsmouth Guildhall is a multi-use building in the centre of Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. It is located in a pedestrian square close to Portsmouth and Southsea railway station. Constructed in 1890, the building was known as Portsmouth Town Hall until 1926. It was heavily damaged by bombing during the Second World War and largely rebuilt during the 1950s by the English architect Ernest Berry Webber. It now operates as a concert, wedding and conference venue. It is a Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leicester Town Hall</span> Municipal building in Leicester, Leicestershire, England

Leicester Town Hall stands at Town Hall Square in the city centre of Leicester, England. The building, which is the meeting place of Leicester City Council, is a Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City Hall, Norwich</span> Municipal building in Norwich, Norfolk, England

Norwich City Hall is an Art Deco building completed in 1938 which houses the city hall for the city of Norwich, East Anglia, in Eastern England. It is one of the Norwich 12, a collection of twelve heritage buildings in Norwich deemed of particular historical and cultural importance. It was designated as a Grade II* listed building in 1971.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guildhall, Kingston upon Hull</span> Municipal building in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England

The Guildhall is a building on Alfred Gelder Street in the City of Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The building is currently the headquarters of Hull City Council but is also used as a venue for conferences, civic receptions and formal dinners. It is a Grade II* listed building status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norwich Guildhall</span> Municipal building in Norwich, Norfolk, England

Norwich Guildhall is a municipal building on Gaol Hill in the city of Norwich, United Kingdom. It is a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bolton Town Hall</span> Municipal building in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England

Bolton Town Hall in Victoria Square, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, was built between 1866 and 1873 for the County Borough of Bolton to designs by William Hill of Leeds and George Woodhouse of Bolton. The town hall was extended in the 1930s to the designs of Bradshaw, Gass and Hope and has been designated a Grade II* listed building by English Heritage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Friargate Coventry</span> New build business district in Coventry

Friargate is a business district in Coventry. Covering 37 acres (15 ha) surrounding Coventry railway station. It is made up of 25 new buildings, including 14 Grade A office buildings, two hotels and new homes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plymouth Civic Centre</span> Municipal building in Plymouth, Devon, England

Plymouth Civic Centre is the former headquarters of Plymouth City Council on Armada Way in Plymouth, Devon, England. The building is in two sections, comprising a 14-storey tower block which housed the council's offices, and a two-storey southern wing called the Council House which includes the council chamber and is linked to the tower block by a bridge at first floor level. The building was completed in 1962. The council sold the tower block part of the building in 2015, but the Council House remains the council's meeting place. The whole complex has been a Grade II listed building since 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plymouth Guildhall</span> Municipal building in Plymouth, Devon, England

Plymouth Guildhall is located on Guildhall Square in the city centre of Plymouth, Devon, England. It is a Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leamington Spa Town Hall</span> Municipal building in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England

Leamington Spa Town Hall is a Grade II listed municipal building located in the town of Leamington Spa in Warwickshire, England. It is the meeting place of Royal Leamington Spa Town Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newcastle-under-Lyme Guildhall</span> Municipal building in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England

The Guildhall is a municipal building in High Street, Newcastle-under-Lyme. It is a Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Launceston Guildhall and Town Hall</span> Municipal building in Launceston, Cornwall, England

Launceston Guildhall and Town Hall is a municipal building in Western Road in Launceston, Cornwall, England. The building, which was the meeting place of Launceston Town Council, is a Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oswestry Guildhall</span> Municipal building in Oswestry, Shropshire, England

Oswestry Guildhall is a municipal building in Bailey Head in Oswestry, Shropshire, England. The structure, which was the meeting place of Oswestry Municipal Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liskeard Guildhall</span> Municipal building in Liskeard, Cornwall, England

Liskeard Guildhall is a municipal building in Pike Street, Liskeard, Cornwall, England. The structure, which was the meeting place of Liskeard Borough Council, is a Grade II* listed building.

References

  1. ↑ Historic England. "The Council House, Coventry (1342927)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  2. ↑ "St Mary's Guildhall". Culture24 . Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  3. ↑ "Look: 100 years since work began on Coventry Council House". Coventry Live. 13 June 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "History of the Council House". Coventry City Council. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  5. ↑ "Council House Called Late To Politics". Coventry and Warwickshire News. 23 August 2000. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  6. ↑ "Coventry Council House". Visit Coventry and Warwickshire. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  7. ↑ Orland, Rob. "Council House, Earl Street". Historic Coventry. Archived from the original on 4 October 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  8. ↑ "Clock tower on Coventry Council House". CoventryLive. Reach plc. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  9. ↑ "The Council House". A History Tour of Coventry. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  10. ↑ "Henry Wilson - the all round artist for Coventry Council House". Coventry Society. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  11. 1 2 "Council House". Britain Express. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  12. ↑ "Coventry council's new tower block at Friargate now completed". Coventry Observer. 21 September 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  13. ↑ "What will happen to Coventry Council House when new Friargate building is finished?". Coventry Live. 10 September 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  14. ↑ "Coventry Civic Centre". Twentieth Century Society. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  15. ↑ "Watch: The moment Coventry's eyesore link bridge is torn down". CoventryLive. Reach plc. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  16. ↑ "Watch machines tear down old buildings in Coventry city centre". CoventryLive. Reach plc. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.