Swansea Guildhall
Encyclopedia
Prior to local government re-organisation in 1996, it was the headquarters for the former Swansea City Council. The Guildhall complex comprises the City Hall, Brangwyn Hall
Brangwyn Hall
The Brangwyn Hall is a concert venue in Swansea. It is named after the artist Frank Brangwyn, whose famous "panels", originally intended for the House of Lords, are displayed there....
and the County Law Courts for Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
. The Swansea Crown Court is now located in a building immediately opposite the Guildhall.
It was designed by architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Sir Percy Thomas
Percy Thomas
Sir Percy Edward Thomas OBE , was an award-winning British architect based in Wales for the majority of his life. He was twice RIBA president ....
and built on what was once part of Victoria Park. Construction commenced in 1930 and it was completed in 1934, opening on 23 October of that year. It was a controversial building at the time, being representative of the modern movement in architecture and is described as having a stripped classical style.
The building is finished in white Portland stone
Portland stone
Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries consist of beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building stone throughout the British Isles, notably in major...
and features a tall art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
clock tower making it a very distinctive Swansea landmark. Part of the clock tower design features the prow of a Viking longboat, a reminder of Sweyn Forkbeard and the city's Viking founders.
See also
- Civic Centre, Swansea
- City and County of Swansea Council
- Dylan Thomas CentreDylan Thomas CentreThe Dylan Thomas Centre is an arts centre located in the Maritime Quarter in Swansea, Wales, UK.Formerly the city's Guildhall, which was originally built in 1825, the Dylan Thomas Centre was restored and refurbished to host the UK Year of Literature and Writing in 1995.It was opened in 1995 by...
, which occupies the building that was the former Swansea Guildhall