County Hall, Glenfield

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County Hall, Glenfield
County Hall, Glenfield, Leicester - geograph.org.uk - 1229155.jpg
County Hall
Leicestershire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
County Hall
Location within Leicestershire
General information
Architectural style Brutalist style
AddressLeicester Road
Town or city Glenfield, Leicestershire
Country United Kingdom
Coordinates 52°39′19″N1°11′21″W / 52.6552°N 1.1892°W / 52.6552; -1.1892 Coordinates: 52°39′19″N1°11′21″W / 52.6552°N 1.1892°W / 52.6552; -1.1892
CompletedNovember 1967
Design and construction
Architect(s)In-house architectural team

County Hall is a municipal building on Leicester Road (the A50) in Glenfield, Leicestershire. It is the headquarters of Leicestershire County Council.

History

In the first half of the 20th century, meetings of Leicestershire County Council were held at the Assembly Rooms in Hotel Street, Leicester, [1] while County Offices were established at No.1 Grey Friars in Leicester in 1936. [2] After deciding that this arrangement was inadequate for their needs, county leaders chose to procure a new county headquarters: the site they selected at Glenfield had previously been open land which they considered was a more economical solution than a city centre site. [3]

Construction on the new building began in spring 1965. [4] [5] It was designed by the in-house architectural team in the Brutalist style, was built at a cost of £1.4 million and was completed in November 1967. [4] The design for the five-storey building involved continuous bands of glazing with concrete panelling above and below: a concrete mural depicting the River Soar by Tony Hollaway was unveiled at that time. [4] An extension to accommodate a computer suite opened in 1970, and the Rutland Building extension was completed in 1974. [4] The principal room was the council chamber which was panelled with Japanese teak and Bombay rosewood. [4]

Queen Elizabeth II made an official visit to County Hall during a tour of Leicestershire, on 17 November 1989. [6] [7] A memorial to commemorate local people from the county who had died since the Second World War was unveiled on 9 November 2012: the memorial, entitled "Stand Easy", was designed by Kenny Hunter from Glasgow and comprised four bronze statues which were modelled on soldiers from Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College. [8] [9] [10]

Works of art in the building include a painting by John Ferneley depicting the Melton Mowbray Horse Fair. [11] The building also contains a large collection of modern art collected by a former Director of Education, Stewart C. Mason. [12]

The Lord-Lieutenant's Young Person of the Year Awards are held annually at County Hall. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leicestershire</span> County of England

Leicestershire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warwickshire to the south-west, Staffordshire to the west, and Derbyshire to the north-west. The border with most of Warwickshire is Watling Street, the modern A5 road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Soar</span> River in Warwickshire and Leicestershire, England

The River Soar is a major tributary of the River Trent in the English East Midlands and is the principal river of Leicestershire. The source of the river is midway between Hinckley and Lutterworth. The river then flows north through Leicester, where it is joined by the Grand Union Canal. Continuing on through the Leicestershire Soar Valley, it passes Loughborough and Kegworth until it reaches the Trent at the county boundary. In the 18th century, the Soar was made navigable, initially between Loughborough and the Trent, and then through to Leicester. It was not until the early 19th century that it was linked by the Grand Union Canal to the wider network to the south and to London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melton Mowbray</span> Town in Leicestershire, England

Melton Mowbray is a town and unparished area in the Melton district in Leicestershire, England, 19 miles (31 km) north-east of Leicester, and 20 miles (32 km) south-east of Nottingham. It lies on the River Eye, known below Melton as the Wreake. The town had a population of 27,670 in 2019. The town is sometimes promoted as Britain's "Rural Capital of Food"; it is the home of the Melton Mowbray pork pie and is the location of one of six licensed makers of Stilton cheese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coalville</span> Town in Leicestershire, England

Coalville is a town and unparished area in the district of North West Leicestershire, Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England, with a population at the 2011 census of 34,575. It lies on the A511 trunk road between Leicester and Burton upon Trent, close to junction 22 of the M1 motorway where the A511 meets the A50 between Ashby-de-la-Zouch and Leicester. It borders the upland area of Charnwood Forest to the east of the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodhouse, Leicestershire</span> Village in Leicestershire, England

Woodhouse, often known to locals as Old Woodhouse, is a small village and civil parish in the heart of Charnwood, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 2,319, including around 300 term-time boarders at the Defence College. The parish includes the larger village of Woodhouse Eaves. The parish of Woodhouse was formed in 1844. The village is located between the larger Woodhouse Eaves and Quorn villages, the village contains a mixture of small cottages and large modern houses. It is a commuter village for both Leicester and Loughborough, as well as further afield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenfield Hospital</span> Hospital in England

Glenfield Hospital, formally known as Glenfield General Hospital, is situated near Glenfield, on the outskirts of Leicester. It is one of England's main hospitals for coronary care and respiratory diseases. It is a tertiary referral university teaching hospital, with a strong international reputation for medical research in cardiac and respiratory health. It is managed by the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sileby</span> Human settlement in England

Sileby is a former industrial village and civil parish in the Soar Valley in Leicestershire, between Leicester and Loughborough. Nearby villages include Barrow upon Soar, Mountsorrel, Ratcliffe-on-the-Wreake, Seagrave and Cossington. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 7,835.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melton Mowbray railway station</span> Railway station in Leicestershire, England

Melton Mowbray railway station serves the market town of Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, England. It is owned by Network Rail and operated by East Midlands Railway, though CrossCountry operates most of the services as part of its Birmingham New Street to Stansted Airport route. The station is on the route of the Syston and Peterborough Railway, which is now part of the Birmingham to Peterborough Line. It has a ticket office, which is staffed part-time, a car park, and help points for times when no staff are present.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hathern railway station</span> Former railway station in Nottinghamshire, England

Hathern railway station was a station serving the village of Hathern in Leicestershire, England.

Cricket may not have reached the English counties of Leicestershire and Rutland until the 18th century. A notice in the Leicester Journal dated 17 August 1776 is the earliest known mention of cricket in the area. A few years later, a Leicestershire & Rutland Cricket Club was taking part in important matches. Note that in some contemporary reports the club is called simply Leicester but the personnel involved are the same whichever title is used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King Edward VII School, Melton Mowbray</span> Comprehensive school in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, England

King Edward VII School (KE7) was an LEA maintained 11-19 comprehensive secondary school in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire in England which closed in 2011. The school was situated on a 56-acre (230,000 m2) green field site on the edge of Melton Mowbray. Formerly, the school was a public grammar school. A third phase specialist technology college, Microsoft Partner School, CISCO Academy and training college, the school received a range of awards for its work.

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

Leicester Town Hall stands in the city centre of Leicester, England, in a square which contains a fountain. The building, which contains a Bike Park, is the main office of the City of Leicester. It is a Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Melton Mowbray</span> Church in England

St Mary is the parish church of Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. The large medieval church, described as "one of the finest parish churches in Leicestershire", suffered from a poor Victorian restoration, and was left in a poor state of repair and deemed "unfit for purpose". By late 2017, work was completed to make the church more accessible and safe, which included a new floor and underfloor heating, a lighting and sound system and a rebuild of the historic organ; the reordering cost an approximate £2 million.

Long Field Academy is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form with academy status, located in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, England. It used to be a high school as designated within the Leicestershire Plan. It was reorganised along with the whole of Melton Mowbray in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Ferneley College</span> Academy in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, England

John Ferneley College is a mixed college located in Melton Mowbray in the English county of Leicestershire. The college is part of the Mowbray Education Trust, a multi-academy trust that includes JFC and several primary schools in the local area. The college is named after John Ferneley, a painter who lived in Melton Mowbray, and who is regarded as one of the great British equine artists. The college has specialist status in Business and Enterprise. Previously a community school administered by Leicestershire County Council, John Ferneley College converted to academy status in November 2011. However the college continues to coordinate with Leicestershire County Council for admissions.

Lorenzo Valentine was a British organ builder based in Nottingham and Melton Mowbray.

Snells Nook Halt railway station was a station on the Charnwood Forest Railway. Near the village of Nanpantan, on the outskirts of Loughborough, Leicestershire.

References

  1. "Leicester Birth & Baptism Records". Forebears. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  2. "Greyfriars Conservation Area Character Appraisal" (PDF). Leicester City Council. 1 November 2014. p. 30-31. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  3. "Ordnance Survey Map". 1962. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Go behind the scenes at County Hall as bosses give the Mercury access to off-limits areas". Leicester Mercury. 5 November 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  5. "Vintage documents reveal original County Hall plans". Loughborough Echo. 30 November 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  6. "Queen's Visit To Leicester and Loughborough November 1989". Leicester University. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  7. "Postcard of the Queen at County Hall". 1989. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  8. "Design for Leicestershire armed forces memorial". BBC. 22 February 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  9. "Leicestershire war memorial bronze statues installed". BBC. 17 October 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  10. Hunter, Kenny. "Stand Easy". Art UK. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  11. Ferneley, John. "Melton Mowbray Horse Fair". Art UK. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  12. "Leicestershire County Council Artworks Collection". Art UK. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  13. "The Lord Lieutenant's Young Person of the Year Awards". Leicestershire County Council. Retrieved 14 October 2020.