Council House, Birmingham
| Birmingham Council House | |
|---|---|
Birmingham Council House, Victoria Square
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| General information | |
| Type | Municipal headquarters |
| Architectural style | Classical |
| Location | Victoria Square, Birmingham, England |
| Coordinates | 52°28′48″N 1°54′10″W / 52.48000°N 1.90278°WCoordinates: 52°28′48″N 1°54′10″W / 52.48000°N 1.90278°W |
| Construction started | 17 June 1874 |
| Completed | 30 October 1879 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Yeoville Thomason |
| Awards and prizes | Grade II* listed |
Birmingham City Council House in Birmingham, England, is the home of Birmingham City Council, and thus the seat of local government for the city. It provides office accommodation for both employed council officers, including the Chief Executive, and elected council members, plus the council chamber, Lord Mayor's Suite, committee rooms and a large and ornate banqueting suite, complete with minstrel's gallery. The first-floor's exterior balcony is used by visiting dignitaries and victorious sports teams, to address crowds assembled below.
It is located in Victoria Square in the city centre and is a Grade II* listed building. (Birmingham Town Hall is a separate building, built and used as a concert venue, and is of greater architectural significance, being listed Grade I.) The Council House has its own postcode, B1 1BB.
The side of the building, which faces Chamberlain Square, is the entrance and façade of the Museum and Art Gallery which is partly housed within the same building.
The open space which is now Victoria Square (containing a water feature and steps) was once occupied by Christ Church (built 1805–13, demolished 1899 to be replaced by shops and offices – the Christ Church Buildings, themselves demolished 1970).
The land on which the Council House and adjacent Museum and Art Gallery are located was purchased in 1853. This land consisted of Ann Street which was home to properties such as the "Cabinet of Curiosities", a clothes shop advertised as "An exhibition for the curious observer of natural phenomena". The building had a clock tower topped with a flagpole. The top was castellated and the walls were whitewashed and adorned in advertisements and messages. The last tenants of the building were the Suffield family, ancestors of J. R. R. Tolkien.
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