Gloucester Guildhall

Last updated

Gloucester Guildhall
Former Guildhall, Eastgate Street, Gloucester (geograph 6768447).jpg
Gloucester Guildhall
LocationEastgate Street, Gloucester, Gloucestershire
Coordinates 51°51′53″N2°14′48″W / 51.8646°N 2.2468°W / 51.8646; -2.2468
Built1892
ArchitectGeorge H. Hunt
Architectural style(s) French Renaissance style
Listed Building – Grade II
Designated12 March 1973
Reference no.1271663
Gloucestershire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of Gloucester Guildhall in Gloucestershire

Gloucester Guildhall is a former municipal building in Eastgate Street, Gloucester, which is now used as an arts and theatre venue. It is a Grade II listed building. [1]

History

The original town hall, known as "the Tolsey" meaning "town hall", was a 15th-century building located on the corner of Westgate Street and Southgate Street. [2] It was rebuilt in the neo-classical style in 1751 but was inadequate for the needs of civic leaders by the late 19th century. [2]

The site chosen for the new building had previously been occupied by Sir Thomas Rich's house, the initial home of Sir Thomas Rich's School, [3] but had become vacant when the school moved to the site of the former Crypt School in Barton Street in 1889. [4]

The new building, which was designed by George H. Hunt in the French Renaissance style, was completed in 1892. [1] The exterior design involved five bays with an entrance flanked by pilasters on the ground floor; there were five french doors with fanlights interspersed by four Ionic order pilasters together with a central stone balcony on the first floor; there were three circular windows with a moulded architrave above them on the second floor and vases were erected at roof level. [1] Internally, the principal rooms on the first floor were the main hall and the council chamber. [1] Works of art contained in the guildhall included a silver gilt roundel dated 1563 bearing the arms of Sir Thomas Bell, a former mayor of Gloucester. [5]

King Edward VII visited the guildhall on 23 June 1909 [6] before departing for the Royal Agricultural Show at the Oxlease Showground on Alney Island. [7] The guildhall also received a visit by the Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by Duke of Edinburgh, to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the granting of the city's charter by King Henry II, on 3 May 1955. [8] [9]

For much of the 20th century the guildhall was the meeting place of the county borough of Gloucester; it continued to be the local seat of government following the formation of the enlarged Gloucester City Council in 1974. [10] However, in 1985 the council decided to move their meeting place to a converted warehouse at Gloucester Docks. [2]

The ground floor was converted into offices in 1987; a lease on the floor was taken by a branch of Cheltenham & Gloucester which, in September 2013, evolved into a branch of TSB Bank. [11] Meanwhile, on the upper floors, an arts centre was established; the council chamber was converted into a cinema with capacity to seat 100 people in 1991, while the main hall, which has a capacity to seat 400 people, is still available for public use. [1] [12] The rock band, EMF, recorded a video of their first single, "Unbelievable", which reached number 3 on the UK Singles Chart, [13] in the main hall one night in 1990. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gloucester</span> City and non-metropolitan district in England

Gloucester is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west; it is sited 19 miles (31 km) east of Monmouth and 17 miles (27 km) east of the border with Wales. Gloucester has a population of around 132,000, including suburban areas. It is a port, linked via the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal to the Severn Estuary.

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

Guildhall is a municipal building in the Moorgate area of the City of London, England. It is off Gresham and Basinghall streets, in the wards of Bassishaw and Cheap. The current building dates from the 15th century; however documentary evidence suggests that a guildhall had existed at the site since at least the early 12th century. The building has been used as a town hall for several hundred years, and is still the ceremonial and administrative centre of the City of London and its Corporation. It should not be confused with London's City Hall, the administrative centre for Greater London. The term "Guildhall" refers both to the whole building and to its main room, which is a medieval great hall. It is a Grade I-listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sir Thomas Rich's School</span> Grammar school in Longlevens, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England

Sir Thomas Rich's School is a grammar school with academy status for boys and girls in Longlevens, Gloucester, England, locally known as "Tommies". It was founded in 1666 by Sir Thomas Rich.

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

Totnes Guildhall is a 16th-century Tudor historic guildhall, magistrate's court, and prison, in the town of Totnes, south Devon, in southwest England. It is a Grade I listed building.

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

The Rochester Guildhall is an historic building located in the High Street in Rochester, Kent, England. It is a Grade I listed building.

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

The Guildford Guildhall is a Guildhall located on the High Street of the town of Guildford, Surrey. It is a Grade I listed building.

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

Gloucester City Council is the local authority for Gloucester, a non-metropolitan district with city status in Gloucestershire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gloucester Shire Hall</span> County building in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England

Gloucester Shire Hall is a municipal building in Westgate Street, Gloucester. The shire hall, which is the main office and the meeting place of Gloucestershire County Council, is a grade II listed building.

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

The Worcester Guildhall is a municipal building in the High Street, Worcester, England. It is a Grade I listed building.

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

Winchester Guildhall is a municipal building in the High Street, Winchester, Hampshire. It is a Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King's Lynn Guildhall</span> Municipal building in Kings Lynn, Norfolk, England

King's Lynn Guildhall, more fully referred to as the Guildhall of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a municipal building in Saturday Market Place in King's Lynn, Norfolk. It is a Grade I listed building. The building was substantially extended in 1895, with the whole complex now generally known as King's Lynn Town Hall, with the 1895 extension being separately listed at Grade II. It is the usual meeting place of King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walsall Council House</span> Municipal building in Walsall, West Midlands, England

Walsall Council House is a municipal building in Lichfield Street in Walsall, West Midlands, England. It is a Grade II listed building.

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

Stratford-upon-Avon Town Hall is a municipal building in Sheep Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. It is a Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Town Hall, Christchurch</span> Municipal building in Christchurch, Dorset, England

The Town Hall, Christchurch is a municipal building in Christchurch, Dorset, England. The building, which incorporates a room known as the mayor's parlour on the first floor, and is a Grade II listed building. It is currently the base of Christchurch Town Council.

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

Bridgwater Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street, Bridgwater, Somerset, England. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Bridgwater Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.

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

Tewkesbury Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England. The building, which is the meeting place of Tewkesbury Town Council, is a Grade II* listed building.

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

Faversham Guildhall is a municipal building in the Market Place in Faversham, Kent, England. The structure, which was the meeting place of Faversham Borough Council, is a Grade II* listed building.

Eastgate Street is one of the ancient streets in Gloucester, so named because its eastern end was originally the location of the east gate in the city's walls. The part beyond the gate as far as GL1 leisure Centre was part of Barton Street It runs from the crossroads of Northgate, Eastgate, Southgate and Westgate Streets in the West to Barton Street in the East.

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

Helston Guildhall, also known as Helston Town Hall, is a municipal building in Church Street, Helston, Cornwall, England. The structure, which is the meeting place of Helston Town Council, is a Grade II* listed building.

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

Bewdley Guildhall is a municipal building in Load Street in Bewdley, Worcestershire, England. The structure, which is the meeting place of Bewdley Town Council, is a Grade II* listed building.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Historic England. "Guildhall, Gloucester (1271663)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 Herbert, N M (1988). "'Gloucester: Public buildings', in A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 4, the City of Gloucester". London: British History Online. pp. 248–251. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  3. ↑ "About". Gloucester Guildhall. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  4. ↑ Herbert, N M (1988). "'Gloucester: Education', in A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 4, the City of Gloucester". London: British History Online. pp. 335–350. Archived from the original on 24 August 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  5. ↑ Herbert, N M (1988). "'Gloucester: Arms, seals, insignia and plate', in A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 4, the City of Gloucester". London: British History Online. pp. 368–371. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  6. ↑ Evans, Jill (2013). The Gloucester Book of Days. The History Press. ISBN   978-0752465166.
  7. ↑ "More photos of Gloucester in the 1900s". Visit Gloucestershire. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  8. ↑ "Royal Visit to Gloucester". British Movietone. 3 May 1955. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  9. ↑ "The Queen visits Gloucester". Visit Gloucester. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  10. ↑ Local Government Act 1972. 1972 c.70. The Stationery Office Ltd. 1997. ISBN   0-10-547072-4.
  11. ↑ "TSB Bank". Bank opening times. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  12. ↑ Rich, Johnny (2001). Push Guide to Which University. The Stationery Office. p. 227. ISBN   978-0117028340.
  13. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 175. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  14. ↑ "About Gloucester Guildhall". Explore Gloucester. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
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.