City Hall Tour

In 1930 plans for a new building on Charles Street were announced to bring the Housing, Electricity, Rates, Motor Licence and Valuation departments under one roof. In 1931 an open competition for the design was won by the Liverpool architects Leonard Barnish and H. Spencer Silcock, for: "a notable building which will command attention and respect". But the new civic offices were proposed at a time of great economic hardship and opponents said the "piling up of public debt" to build them was inexcusable and in "total disregard of the struggles of our working class ratepayers". However, the scheme's benefits to the local economy won the argument with contracts going to local firms to promote employment. The six storey Municipal Offices were clad along the frontages in Portland Stone., the building included main entrance doorways framed in bronze and many fine art deco features. The opening ceremony took place on 7th November 1938 at which Lord Mayor Cllr Frank Acton said it was a privilege to open "this long sought-after and wonderful place". The Leicester Mercury reported that: "The buildings are a handsome addition to the civic architecture of the city". The Municipal Offices were vacated in 1975 and in the 80s became known as the Willie Thorne Snooker Centre. In 2014 the city's municipal HQ moved back to Charles Street now called City Hall, where a team including conservation specialists worked with original archive drawings to restore the building to its former glory.

Timings & Tours

Saturday 07 September:

10am

Location & directions

City Hall, 115 Charles Street, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE1 1FZ

Directions:

City Hall is located directly opposite the Ramada Encore Hotel on Charles Street.

Contact on day:

City Hall Reception (from 9am)

Telephone number:

+441163737770

Booking information

Pre-booking requirement:

Pre-booking required

Booking conditions:

You will need to take note of the reference number given when booking and provide contact details. If you or any of your party would have difficulty evacuating in an emergency due to mobility issues, please advise us at time of booking.

Booking contact name:

Steve Ordell

Booking telephone number:

+441163737770

Booking email:

[email protected]

Booking opens:

12 Aug 2024 08:00 AM

Booking closes:

06 Sep 2024 06:00 PM

Accessibility details

Meeting at City Hall reception the tour will last just over an hour. City Hall is a fully accessible building.

Additional information

Max no of people per tour:

40

Est. tour duration:

1 hour(s) 15 minute(s)

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