34-626: Woolwich Town Hall is an early 20th-century town hall located in the historic Bathway Quarter in the centre of Woolwich , South East London . Until 1965 it was the seat of local government of the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich , after which it became the headquarters of the Greenwich London Borough Council . It is a rare example of an Edwardian Baroque town hall in London and is a Grade II*-listed building . The Town Hall
68-445: A colonnade and "broken" pediments . The other entrance on Market Street is decorated with military and maritime symbols. The Italianate clock tower , on the corner of the two streets, is 40 m tall. It contains a clock by John Smith & Sons of Derby; there are no bells. The six domes, four made of copper, that make up the roof can be seen from afar. The Wellington Street entrance leads directly into Victoria Hall. This large space
102-407: A debating chamber for council meetings, office space for city employees, an archive room for official documents, and some degree of fortification lest the city be attacked. The Palazzo Senatorio has been the headquarters of the municipal government of Rome since 1144, making it the oldest city hall in the world. The Cologne City Hall of 1135 is another early example. The Palazzo Pubblico of
136-467: A civic town hall have become separated. Particularly in North America, "city hall" can be used as a metonym to mean municipal government , or government in general, as in the axiom "You can't fight city hall". "Town hall" tends to have less formal connotations (cf. Town meeting ). Statue of Queen Victoria, Chester The Statue of Queen Victoria stands in front of Chester Crown Court in
170-422: A covered space to function as a marketplace at street level, and one or more rooms used for public or civic purposes above it. These buildings were frequently the precursors of dedicated town halls. The modern concept of the town hall developed with the rise of medieval communes . Much as a lord was based in his hall, the new councils which formed to rule the cities required a headquarters. This building needed
204-821: A great variety and flexibility of purpose in mind. In some European countries, the town hall is the venue for the declaration of Christmas Peace , such as Turku and Porvoo in Finland and Tartu in Estonia . As symbols of local government, city, and town halls have distinctive architecture, and the buildings may have great historical significance – for example the Guildhall, London . City hall buildings may also serve as cultural icons that symbolize their cities. City Hall buildings often serve citizens in accessing government functions as well as providing vital symbolic roles for their communities. In Commonwealth countries ,
238-476: A large dome that provides daylight. Stained-glass windows throughout the building depict historic events in the parishes of Woolwich, Plumstead and Eltham, for example the entertaining of three foreign kings in Eltham Palace in 1374, the launching of the ship Henry Grace à Dieu at Woolwich Dockyard in 1514, and portraits of Thomas More , Margaret Roper and Samuel Pepys . The windows date from 1904 and are
272-407: A regional strategic authority. The Oxford English Dictionary sums up the generic terms: County Council administrations in parts of England and Wales generally operate from a base in a building called, by analogy, a " county hall " or "shire hall". Conversely, cities that have subdivisions with their councils may have borough halls. Scottish local government in larger cities operates from
306-613: Is a distinction between the Council House and the Town Hall , a concert and meeting venue that pre-dates it. In Sheffield , the distinction is between the Town Hall , the seat of local government, and the City Hall , a concert and ballroom venue. In Leeds , the Town Hall , built in the 1850s as a seat of local government, now functions primarily as a concert, conference, and wedding venue, many of its municipal functions having moved in 1933 to
340-401: Is about 1.65 metres (5.4 ft) high, and the pedestal is about 1.70 metres (5.6 ft) in height. On the sides of the pedestal are the arms of the city and the county. On the north side of the granite base is an inscription in lead reading as follows. In relief , around the sides of the pedestal, is an inscription reading as follows. On the west base of the statue is the signature of
374-648: Is also the register office for the borough. Initially, the improvement commissioners for Woolwich, then a civil parish in the County of Kent , met in a room next to the poorhouse and in the parish church of St Mary Magdalene . The first town hall in Woolwich was built in around 1839, but was almost immediately sold to the Metropolitan Police . A second town hall was built in Calderwood Street in 1842. In 1855
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#1732851928478408-530: Is dominated by a tall marble statue of Queen Victoria by F. W. Pomeroy , a stone copy of the bronze Statue of Queen Victoria in Chester . On both sides of the stairs bronze World War II memorial plaques were placed. The hall is also used for exhibitions and for counting votes during elections. In the centre of the building, accessed via the Market Street entrance, is a public hall, seating 750 people. The hall has
442-677: Is made between city halls and town halls. The term is also sometimes (but more rarely) used as a name in Commonwealth countries: for example, for the City Halls of Brisbane in Australia, and of Cardiff , Norwich and Bristol in the UK. City Hall in Dublin , Ireland, is another example. City Hall in London, opened in 2002, is an exceptional case, being the seat not of a conventional municipal authority, but of
476-523: Is one of the grandest examples of the medieval era, serving as a model for 19th-century town halls such as the Rathaus, Vienna . Over centuries, the idea of civic representation along with notions of urbanism and public space evolved. Even the building form grew in size and the town hall concept expanded beyond Europe to become an established institution across the world. As the functions of government generally and municipal government in particular expanded in
510-435: Is present within the building. The local government may endeavor to use the building to promote and enhance the quality of life of the community. In many cases, "town halls" serve not only as buildings for government functions, but also have facilities for various civic and cultural activities. These may include art shows, stage performances, exhibits, and festivals. Modern town halls or "civic centres" are often designed with
544-668: The Republic of Siena and the Palazzo Vecchio of the Republic of Florence , both late-medieval town halls, date from 1297 and 1299 respectively. In each case, the large, fortified building comprises a large meeting hall and numerous administrative chambers. Both buildings are topped by tall towers, have ancient clocks against which townsfolk measured time, and have space for local archives of official documents. These features became standard for town halls across Europe. The 15th-century Brussels Town Hall , with its 96-meter (315 ft) tower,
578-525: The "City Chambers". Other names are occasionally used. The administrative headquarters of the City of London retains its Anglo-Saxon name, the Guildhall , signifying a place where taxes were paid. In a few English cities (including Birmingham , Coventry and Nottingham ) the preferred term is "Council House": this was also true in Bristol until 2012, when the building was renamed " City Hall ". In Birmingham, there
612-431: The 19th and 20th centuries, the role of town and city halls became broader. Many cities established a reading room in their city hall, which later grew into a public library , typically in its own building. The central room in a town hall (the "hall" proper) began to be used for a variety of other functions; some cities installed a large pipe organ to facilitate public entertainment. In the 20th century, town halls served
646-469: The Metropolis Management Act provided every parish in the metropolitan area with its own local administration. In 1889 the parish of Woolwich became part of the newly formed County of London and in 1900 the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich was formed from the parishes of Woolwich, Plumstead and Eltham . This prompted the construction of a larger and more representative town hall, although
680-640: The Municipal Offices were built in the 1930s. The Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich was abolished in 1965 and largely merged with Greenwich (a small section north of the Thames went to the London Borough of Newham ). Woolwich Town Hall became the seat of local government of the new London Borough of Greenwich . Peggy Middleton House, which had provided extra office space in Woolwich New Road since 1977,
714-476: The building housing the council and such other organs of government as supported it. The hall may be used for council meetings and other significant events. This large chamber, the "town hall" (and its later variant "city hall") became synonymous with the whole building, and, synecdochically , the municipal government headquartered there. The terms "council chambers", "municipal building" or variants may be used locally in preference to "town hall" if no such large hall
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#1732851928478748-578: The county. Its total cost was £1,360 (equivalent to £180,000 as of 2023), excluding the cost of the foundations. Frederick William Pomeroy was selected to be the sculptor; he had recently created the effigy of the Duke of Westminster in Chester Cathedral . The bronze statue was made in the foundry of Hollinshead and Burton in Thames Ditton , Surrey . The designer of the stonework was Harry Beswick, and
782-484: The forecourt of Chester Castle , Chester , Cheshire , England. It was unveiled in 1903, the sculptor was Frederick William Pomeroy , and the statue is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building . The money for the statue was raised by public subscription, with about one-third being raised in the city of Chester, and the remaining amount from elsewhere in
816-422: The local government. It also often functions as the office of the mayor (or other executive), if the relevant municipality has such an officer. In large cities, the local government is often administratively expansive, and the city hall may bear more resemblance to a municipal capitol building. By convention, until the middle of the 19th century, a single large open chamber (or "hall") formed an integral part of
850-443: The new Civic Hall . Large halls called basilicas were used in ancient Rome for the administration of justice, as meeting places, and for trade. The development of the town hall as a setting for local governance meetings and decisions is historically related to the early cities in medieval Europe. The objective was to have engagement with the citizens in a public space by a representative civic authority. The oldest town hall in
884-467: The old town hall still survives. Construction on the current building, the third town hall, started in 1903. New buildings for the County and Magistrates' Court , as well as a new police station and the existing library, formed a small administrative quarter. The architect, Alfred Brumwell Thomas , apparently submitted an earlier design, rejected in a 1902 competition for Deptford Town Hall . The construction
918-427: The public as places for voting, examinations, vaccinations , disaster relief, and disseminating information through noticeboards, as well as for the more usual civil functions, festivities, and entertainments. Local councils have increasingly tended to move administrative functions into modern offices. Where new premises are designed and constructed to house local governments, the functions of an administrative office and
952-477: The stonemasons were Haswell and Sons of Chester. The statue was unveiled on 17 October 1903 by Wilbraham Egerton, 1st Earl Egerton . The statue is in bronze, and depicts Queen Victoria standing, and holding the orb and sceptre . The Queen is dressed in coronation robes, wearing a lace head-dress and the Imperial crown. The figure stands on a pedestal of Stancliffe stone and a base of granite . The figure
986-516: The term "town hall" may be used even in a city. This is often the case in the United Kingdom (examples being Manchester Town Hall and Liverpool Town Hall ), Australia ( Sydney Town Hall ), New Zealand , and elsewhere. People in some regions use the term "city hall" to designate the council offices of a municipality of city status . This is the case in North America , where a distinction
1020-417: The time it would be occupied by routine administrative and judicial functions. In a smaller manor, a lord might even live in the hall with his family and retainers. Inasmuch as the manor was the primary local jurisdiction of medieval society, the hall was a place of great local importance. In the later Middle Ages or early modern period , many European market towns erected communal market halls , comprising
1054-539: The work of Geoffrey Webb . Elsewhere in the building fine woodcarving and plasterwork can be admired. Town hall In local government , a city hall , town hall , civic centre (in the UK or Australia ), guildhall , or municipal building (in the Philippines ) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality . It usually houses the city or town council and at least some other arms of
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1088-552: The world is Palazzo Senatorio in Rome , Italy, which is established in AD 1144. In the Early Middle Ages , the great hall , a single large open chamber, was the main, and sometimes only room of the home of a feudal lord . A great variety of activities took place in the hall, which was an all-purpose space. The lord would host banquets and other grand ceremonies in the hall, but most of
1122-471: Was demolished in 2009. Woolwich Town Hall was designed by the architect Alfred Brumwell Thomas , who more or less simultaneously worked on (more ambitious) plans for Belfast City Hall (1898–1906) and Stockport Town Hall (1905–1908). It is a fine example of Edwardian Baroque in the London area. The building has two monumental façades along Wellington Street and Market Street. The Wellington Street façade features an imposing entrance of Portland stone with
1156-534: Was undertaken by Messrs J E Johnson & Son at a cost of £80,000. The official opening of the town hall took place, without royal presence at the insistence of Woolwich Council, in January 1906. Instead Labour MP Will Crooks did the opening speech, while the first bishop of Woolwich , John Leeke blessed the building. Between 1929 and 1930 a small annexe was added in Polytechnic Street. Across Wellington Street
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