Walsall Town Hall

Walsall Town Hall is located at Leicester Street in Walsall, West Midlands, England. The building, which opened in 1903, is used for a variety of functions including wedding receptions and concerts.[1] It was designated a grade II listed building in 1986.[2]

Walsall Town Hall
The main entrance in 2008
General information
TypeTown Hall
Architectural styleBaroque
Classification
Listed Building – Grade II
Designated31 July 1986
Reference no.1076367
AddressLichfield Street
Town or cityWalsall
CountryWalsall, England
Coordinates52.5856°N 1.9805°W / 52.5856; -1.9805
Opened1903 (1903)
OwnerWalsall Metropolitan Borough Council
Design and construction
Architect(s)James Glen Sivewright Gibson
DesignationsGrade II listed

History

The building was commissioned at the same time as the Walsall Council House and was erected on a site adjacent to it.[2] The town hall was designed by James Glen Sivewright Gibson in the Baroque style,[3] built in sandstone ashlar, and was completed in 1903. The design for the entrance includes a round archway with three Tuscan order columns, an architrave and a tympanum above.[2] The pipe organ, which commemorates the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria,[4] was made by the local firm of Nicholson & Lord and installed in 1908.[5] It was designed with 98 stops, five keyboards and 3,300 pipes.[5][4]

A memorial to organist and composer Charles Swinnerton Heap, sculpted by Albert Toft, was installed in the building in 1905.[6] A matched pair of pictures by Frank O. Salisbury were installed in the theatre. They were commissioned by the former local member of parliament, Joseph Leckie, "to commemorate the never to be forgotten valour of the South Staffordshire Regiments in the Great War 1914 - 1918" and completed in 1920.[7] One shows "the First South Staffordshires attacking the Hohenzollern Redoubt", the other "the 5th South Staffords storming the St. Quentin Canal at Bellingtise Sept 29th 1918".[7]

Rock musicians that performed at the Walsall Town Hall include Slade in 1966,[8] The Who in 1966,[9] and Robert Plant of Band of Joy (later of Led Zeppelin) in 1967.[8] Black Sabbath performed in the hall in the late 1960s,[8] and the heavy metal band, Jameson Raid, also performed there in 1980.[10]

The organist, Harold Britton, recorded a concert entitled "Organ Extravaganza" on the ASV label on the organ in 1991.[11] An episode from series 20 of the BBC programme Antiques Roadshow was filmed in the hall in November 1997.[12]

A memorial plaque to Walsall's three recipients of the Victoria Cross, John Henry Carless, James Thompson and Charles George Bonner, was unveiled there in 2009.[13] The rock band Reverend and the Makers performed there in 2012.[5]

References
  1. "Town Halls". Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council. 24 July 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  2. Historic England. "Town Hall, Walsall (1076367)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  3. "James Glen Sivewright Gibson". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  4. "An historic guide through Walsall's Town Hall". Walsall Council. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  5. "Walsall Town Hall set for £1m revamp". Express and Star. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  6. "Village Memorial Restored to Original". Black County Bugle. 10 October 2018. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  7. Mabbett, Andy (2002). "War memorials". Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council. Archived from the original on 22 June 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
  8. "Raising the musical roof in Walsall". Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council. 23 November 2012. Archived from the original on 11 April 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  9. Neill, Andrew; Kent, Matthew (2009). Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere: The Complete Chronicle of the WHO 1958–1978. Sterling Publishing Company. p. 304. ISBN 978-1402766916.
  10. "Jameson Raid - The beginning of Part II". HR Records. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  11. "Organ First Magazine" (PDF). Organs.uk. 1 May 2005. p. 22. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  12. "Antiques Roadshow". BBC. 23 November 1997. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  13. Lloyd, Matt (30 December 2009). "Black Country Victoria Cross winners are honoured". Birmingham Mail. Archived from the original on 23 September 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2009.
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