Sheffield Town Hall

This article is about the current one. For the previous one, see Sheffield Old Town Hall.

Not to be confused with Sheffield City Hall.

Sheffield Town Hall
Sheffield Town Hall & Peace Gardens
Record height
Tallest in Sheffield from 1896 to 1965^[I]
Preceded by	Cathedral Church of St Marie and St John's Church
Surpassed by	Arts Tower
General information
Status	Completed
Type	Government
Classification
Listed Building – Grade I
Designated	28 June 1973
Reference no.	1246902
Location	Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England
Coordinates	53.3803398°N 1.4694321°W / 53.3803398; -1.4694321
Completed	1897
Opening	1897
Owner	Sheffield City Council
Height
Roof	61 m (200 ft)
Top floor	61 m (200 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	6
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Edward William Mountford

Sheffield Town Hall is a municipal building on Pinstone Street in the City of Sheffield, England. The building is used by Sheffield City Council, and also contains a publicly displayed collection of silverware. It is a Grade I listed building.^[1]

History

The current building, commissioned to replace the Old Town Hall, was designed by the London-based architect Edward William Mountford in the Renaissance Revival style and constructed between 1890 and 1897.^[1] The building was opened by Queen Victoria, using a remote control lock from her carriage, on 21 May 1897.^[2] The turning of the key in the lock triggered a light in the building which was the signal for three concealed men to open the gates.^[2]

An extension designed by F. E. P. Edwards was opened by the Prince of Wales on 29 May 1923.^[2]

The gardens were first laid out in 1938, following the demolition of St Paul's Church. Originally named St Paul's Gardens, they were immediately nicknamed the "Peace Gardens", marking the contemporary signing of the Munich Agreement.^[3]

An extension designed in the Brutalist style was added to the east of the Peace Gardens in 1977; nicknamed The Egg-Box after its appearance, it was demolished in 2002.^[4]

Exterior

The design of the exterior echoed to a certain extent the architecture of the adjacent St. Paul's Church of 1720 (now demolished).^[5] During construction, the building was criticised for its expensive embellishments. The exterior is built of Stoke stone from the Stoke Hall Quarry in Grindleford, Derbyshire and is decorated with carvings by F. W. Pomeroy.^[1] The friezes depict the industries of Sheffield, and the 64-metre-high clock-tower is surmounted by a statue of Vulcan. The clock, by Potts of Leeds, was provided with striking and chiming trains,^[6] but bells were never installed in the clock-tower so they remained unused. In 2002 an electronic bell sound system was added to provide hourly strikes and Westminster-style quarter chimes.^[7]

Interior

The entry contains displays relating to HMS Sheffield^[8] and leads to the Main Entrance Hall with a grand marble staircase. This also has an Electrolier an electric chandelier, part of the original lighting of the building.^[9] The walls include friezes including a depiction of the slaying of the Dragon of Wharncliffe.^[10] On the first landing is a statue of the first Lord Mayor Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk.^[11]

The first floor has a gallery running its length which can be divided into four sections by means of powered oak panels descending from the ceiling. The south room is the Lord Mayor's Parlour which is kept permanently divided.^[2] On the same floor is the oak-panelled Council Room and its antechamber, which has above its door the advice "Be Ye wise as serpents and harmless as doves", a quotation from the Bible (Matthew 10:16).^[12]

• 
  Statue of the first Lord Mayor of Sheffield
• 
  Staircase at Sheffield Town Hall decorated for Christmas
• 
  HMS Sheffield plaque 1941
• 
  Staircase, with statue of the first Lord Mayor
• 
  Slaying the Wharncliffe dragon
• 
  Electrolier
• 
  Lord Mayor's Parlour
• 
  Council Chamber
• 
  Above the door to the Council Chamber
• 
  Council Chambers
• 
  Mayors Parlour Room
• 
  Main stairs

See also

• Listed buildings in Sheffield

References

1. Historic England. "Town Hall, Sheffield (1246902)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
2. "Town Hall". Sheffield City Council. Archived from the original on 15 July 2010. Retrieved 19 August 2010.
3. Harman, Ruth; Minnis, John, eds. (2004). Sheffield. Pevsner City Guides. New Haven: Yale University Press. pp. 94–96. ISBN 978-0-300-10585-8.
4. "Can you remember the 'Egg Box' – and when Sheffield's Peace Gardens used to look like this?". The Star. 22 May 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
5. "St Paul's Church, Sheffield". Chris Hobbs. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
6. Potts, Michael S. (2006). Potts of Leeds: Five Generations of Clockmakers. Ashbourne, Derbyshire: Mayfield Books. p. 130.
7. "Electronic bells to ring in change at town hall". Yorkshire Post. 10 December 2002. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
8. "HMS Sheffield Memorial Plaque". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
9. "Detail of an electrolier in the staircase hall of Sheffield Town Hall". Historic England. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
10. Anderton, Anne (16 September 2017). "Discovering Intérieurs Anglais: The Art of Bedford Lemere & Co". Retrieved 11 April 2020.
11. "Sheffield Town Hall;Statue of the 15th Duke of Norfolk". The Courtauld Gallery. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
12. The Baptist Magazine. Vol. 25. Baptist Missionary Society. 1833. p. 292.

Records
Preceded by Cathedral Church of St Marie 59 m (195 ft)	Tallest building in Sheffield 1896 – 1965	Succeeded by Arts Tower 78 m (256 ft)