Gloucester Guildhall

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Coordinates: 51°51′53″N 2°14′48″W / 51.8646°N 2.2468°W / 51.8646; -2.2468
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Gloucester Guildhall
Gloucester Guildhall
LocationEastgate Street, Gloucester, Gloucestershire
Coordinates51°51′53″N 2°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
Gloucester Guildhall is located in Gloucestershire
Gloucester Guildhall
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[edit]

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]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e Historic England. "Guildhall, Gloucester (1271663)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  2. ^ a b c 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.
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