, former_names = , alternate_names = , image = Brangwyn hall.jpg , alt = , caption = Brangwyn Hall entrance , map_type = , altitude = , building_type = , architectural_style = , structural_system = , cost = , ren_cost = , location = Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom , address =

Guildhall A guildhall, also known as a "guild hall" or "guild house", is a historical building originally used for tax collecting by municipalities or merchants in Great Britain and the Low Countries. These buildings commonly become town halls and in som ...

, Swansea SA1 4PE , client = , owner = Swansea City Council , current_tenants = , landlord = , coordinates = , start_date = , completion_date = , inauguration_date = 23 October 1934 , renovation_date = , demolition_date = , destruction_date = , height = , diameter = , other_dimensions = , floor_count = , floor_area = , main_contractor = , architect = , architecture_firm = , structural_engineer = , services_engineer = , civil_engineer = , other_designers = , quantity_surveyor = , awards = , ren_architect = , ren_firm = , ren_str_engineer = , ren_serv_engineer = , ren_civ_engineer = , ren_oth_designers = , ren_qty_surveyor = , ren_awards = , references = The Brangwyn Hall ( cy, Neuadd y Brangwyn) is a concert venue in Swansea. It is named after the artist

Frank Brangwyn Sir Frank William Brangwyn (12 May 1867 – 11 June 1956) was a Welsh artist, painter, watercolourist, printmaker, illustrator, and designer. Brangwyn was an artistic jack-of-all-trades. As well as paintings and drawings, he produced des ...

, whose ''British Empire Panels'', originally intended for the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

, are displayed there.

History

The Brangwyn Hall was designed and built as part of the

Swansea Guildhall The Guildhall ( cy, Guildhall Abertawe) is one of the main office buildings of the City and County of Swansea Council. The Guildhall complex, which includes the City Hall, Brangwyn Hall (concert hall) and the County Law Courts for Swansea, is a ...

in 1934 but, before the ''British Empire Panels'' could be installed, the ceiling of the hall had to be raised in order to show them off. The ''British Empire Panels'' are sixteen large paintings by Frank Brangwyn which were commissioned in 1924 for the Royal Gallery of the House of Lords, to commemorate the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Brangwyn had worked as an official war artist, and was selected by the sponsor Lord Iveagh, an

Irish peer The Peerage of Ireland consists of those titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It is one of the five divisi ...

. He chose to create a "decorative painting representing various Dominions and parts of the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

", and five finished panels were displayed in 1930. The work was completed in 1932, but, after some sections of the media argued that the panels were too colourful and spirited, the House of Lords declined them. So Swansea Council acquired them instead.

Description

The Brangwyn Hall is used for awards ceremonies and social events as well as classical music concerts and rock concerts. Among the ceremonies held at the Brangwyn Hall are the annual Chinese New Year celebrations (for the Chinese community in Swansea) and the graduation ceremony for students graduating from

University of Wales, Trinity Saint David , image = Crest of TSD.png , image_size = 200px , caption = Coat of armsUniversity of Wales Trinity Saint David , established = 2010 (Saint David's College, Lampeter founded 1822 and opened 1827; royal charter 1828) , ...

. The

BBC National Orchestra of Wales The BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBC NOW) ( cy, Cerddorfa Genedlaethol Gymreig y BBC) is a Welsh symphony orchestra and one of the BBC's five professional radio orchestras. The BBC NOW is the only professional symphony orchestra organisatio ...

frequently use this venue when performing in Swansea. Additionally, the BBC has filmed some scenes from the '' Doctor Who'' episodes "

Silence in the Library "Silence in the Library" is the eighth episode of the fourth series of the revived British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 31 May 2008. It is the first of a two-part story; the second part, ...

" and "

Forest of the Dead "Forest of the Dead" is the ninth episode of the fourth series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast by BBC One on 7 June 2008. It is the second of a two-part story; the first part, "Silence in ...

", as well as "

The Big Bang The Big Bang event is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models of the Big Bang explain the evolution of the observable universe from the ...

". The hall was also used as a filming location for the 2019

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

miniseries '' The Accident''. The hall has a concert organ, with four manuals, designed by

Henry Willis & Sons Henry Willis & Sons is a British firm of pipe organ builders founded in 1845. Although most of their installations have been in the UK, examples can be found in other countries. Five generations of the Willis family served as principals of th ...

which was originally built in 1921 for the

Elite Picture Theatre, Nottingham The Elite Picture Theatre, Nottingham was a cinema open from 1921 to 1977 in Nottingham. History The cinema was designed by the firm of Adamson & Kinns of London in the Beaux-Arts style, with 250 tons of steel frame, concrete floors and expensiv ...

References

External links

Official Site
* {{Authority control Music venues in Swansea Buildings and structures in Swansea Mass media and culture in Swansea Buildings and structures completed in 1934 1934 establishments in Wales