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Sheffield Town Hall is a municipal building on Pinstone Street in the
City of Sheffield The City of Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England. The metropolitan borough includes the administrative centre of Sheffield, the town of Stocksbridge and larger village of Chapeltown and part of the Peak D ...
, England. The building is used by
Sheffield City Council Sheffield City Council is the city council for the metropolitan borough of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It consists of 84 councillors, elected to represent 28 wards, each with three councillors. It is currently under No Overall Con ...
, and also contains a publicly displayed collection of
silver Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical co ...
ware. It is a Grade I
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
.


History

The current building, commissioned to replace the Old Town Hall, was designed by the
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...
-based
architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
Edward William Mountford in the Renaissance Revival style and constructed between 1890 and 1897. The building was opened by
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...
, using a
remote control In electronics, a remote control (also known as a remote or clicker) is an electronic device used to operate another device from a distance, usually wirelessly. In consumer electronics, a remote control can be used to operate devices such as ...
lock from her carriage, on 21 May 1897. 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. An extension designed by F. E. P. Edwards was opened by the
Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the ruler ...
on 29 May 1923. The
gardens A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate both ...
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 The Munich Agreement ( cs, Mnichovská dohoda; sk, Mníchovská dohoda; german: Münchner Abkommen) was an agreement concluded at Munich on 30 September 1938, by Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy. It provided "cession to Germa ...
. 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.


Exterior

The design of the exterior echoed to a certain extent the architecture of the adjacent St. Paul's Church of 1720 (now demolished). 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 Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District, Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennines, Pennine range of hills and part of the The National Forest (England), Nat ...
and is decorated with carvings by F. W. Pomeroy. The
frieze In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...
s depict the industries of Sheffield, and the 64-metre-high clock-tower is surmounted by a statue of
Vulcan Vulcan may refer to: Mythology * Vulcan (mythology), the god of fire, volcanoes, metalworking, and the forge in Roman mythology Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * Vulcan (''Star Trek''), name of a fictional race and their home p ...
. Bells were never installed in the clock-tower, but in 2002 an electronic bell sound system was added to provide hourly strikes and Westminster-style quarter chimes.


Interior

The entry contains displays relating to HMS ''Sheffield'' and leads to the Main Entrance Hall with a grand marble staircase. This also has an Electrolier an electric
chandelier A chandelier (; also known as girandole, candelabra lamp, or least commonly suspended lights) is a branched ornamental light fixture designed to be mounted on ceilings or walls. Chandeliers are often ornate, and normally use incandescent li ...
, part of the original lighting of the building. The walls include friezes including a depiction of the slaying of the Dragon of Wharncliffe. On the first landing is a statue of the first Lord Mayor
Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk, (27 December 184711 February 1917), styled Lord Maltravers until 1856 and Earl of Arundel and Surrey between 1856 and 1860, was a British Unionist politician and philanthropist. He served as Postmas ...
. 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. 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). File:Sheffield-town-hall-first-lord-mayor-statue.jpg, Statue of the first Lord Mayor of Sheffield File:Sheffield-town-hall-staircase.jpg, Staircase at Sheffield Town Hall decorated for Christmas File:HMS Sheffield plaque, Sheffield Town Hall.jpg, HMS ''Sheffield'' plaque 1941 File:Sheffield Town Hall stairs.JPG, Staircase, with statue of the first Lord Mayor File:Wharncliffe Dragon.JPG, Slaying the Wharncliffe dragon File:Sheffield Town Hall Electrolier Oct 2017.jpg, Electrolier File:Sheffield Mayors Parlour.JPG, Lord Mayor's Parlour File:Sheffield Town Hall Council.jpg, Council Chamber File:Sheffield Town Hall Council sign.jpg, Above the door to the Council Chamber File:Sheffield Town Hall Council Chamber.jpg, Council Chambers File:Sheffield Town Hall Mayors Parlour Room.jpg, Mayors Parlour Room File:Sheffield Town Hall Stairs.jpg, Main stairs


See also

* Listed buildings in Sheffield


References

{{Listed buildings in Sheffield Grade I listed buildings in Sheffield Grade I listed government buildings Government buildings completed in 1897 City and town halls in South Yorkshire