Sheffield City Hall

Sheffield City Hall
Address Barkers Pool
Sheffield
England
Coordinates 53°22′51″N 1°28′21″W / 53.3808°N 1.4724°W / 53.3808; -1.4724Coordinates: 53°22′51″N 1°28′21″W / 53.3808°N 1.4724°W / 53.3808; -1.4724
Owner Sheffield International Venues
Designation Grade II* listed building
Capacity 2,271 (Irwin Mitchell Oval Hall)
850 (Ballroom)
500 (Memorial Hall)
Construction
Opened 22 September 1932 (1932-09-22)
Architect E. Vincent Harris
Website
www.sheffieldcityhall.co.uk

Sheffield City Hall is a Grade II* listed building[1] in Sheffield, England which dominates Barker's Pool, one of Sheffield's central squares. It was built and is owned by Sheffield City Council but is now managed by the Sheffield City Trust, under a 99-year lease and is operated by Sheffield International Venues as a venue for concerts and other events in its various rooms.

History

The building was designed in 1920 by E. Vincent Harris but construction was delayed 8 years because of the economic climate in the early 1920s.[2] Eventually construction started with the laying of the foundation stone on 27 June 1929 and the City Hall was officially opened on 22 September 1932.[2] It was originally proposed in 1916 as a Memorial Hall to commemorate the dead of the Great War but by the time of completion the name had changed to Sheffield City Hall, after some years of controversy.[2]

During the Second World War a bomb exploded in Barker's Pool, damaging the pillars of the building. The scars of the explosion can still be seen to this day.[3] In 2005, the City Hall and its surroundings were refurbished and re-developed at a cost of £12.5 million.[2]

Architecture and features

It is a neo-classical building with a giant portico. The Oval Hall is the largest hall in the building, seating 2,271 people. The Grand Willis III Organ is the largest in Sheffield with over 4,000 pipes and four manuals. The organ sits in a chamber situated behind the large decorative grilles facing the audience. There is also a 500-seater Memorial Hall and the Ballroom. A pair of four foot high stone Art Deco lions, each weighing 2.5 tonnes, stood at either side of the stage when the main hall first opened in 1932.[4] They were removed in 1962 as part of a refurbishment but returned to the foyer of the City Hall in October 2017, as part of the buildings 85th anniversary celebrations, after being owned by the Tarmac Group for many years.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Historic England. "City Hall (455364)". Images of England. Retrieved 20 February 2006.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Neil Anderson (2012) Sheffield City Hall - celebrating 80 years (ACM Retro, Sheffield) ISBN 978-1-908431-12-7
  3. ↑ Sheffield City Hall website
  4. ↑ "Details of lions". Public Art in Sheffield. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  5. ↑ "Civic pride restored as lions head home to Sheffield City Hall". BBC News. Retrieved 31 October 2017.

Further reading

  • Anderson, Neil (2012) Sheffield City Hall - 1932-2012 ACM Retro ISBN 978-1-908431-12-7
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