Nottingham Guildhall

Not to be confused with Nottingham Guild Hall.
Nottingham Guildhall from the Illustrated Guide to the Church Congress 1897
Nottingham Guildhall in 2013

Nottingham Guildhall is a former Magistrates' Court in Nottingham, England.

History

Nottingham Guildhall was built in 1887 to 1888 to replace the previous Nottingham Guild Hall on Weekday Cross. Following a competition with Alfred Waterhouse as the judge, the French Renaissance Revival design by the architects Thomas Verity and George Henry Hunt was chosen. Garbutts of Liverpool were chosen as contractors much to the annoyance of local building companies.[1]

The initial estimate for the building was £128,416 (equivalent to £11,664,369 in 2015),[2] and immediately the council asked Verity and Hunt to simplify the design. The building as erected contained the Police (magistrates') Court. the Central Police Station and the new Fire Station.

The building was erected for a cost of £65,000 (equivalent to £6,529,930 in 2015).[2] [3]

In 1996, all magistrates were moved to the new Nottingham Magistrates' Court building.[4]

Between 1996 and 2010 the Guildhall was occupied by Nottingham City Council. In 2010 the Council left for new, modern offices at Loxley House, close to Nottingham Rail Station. Since this date the building has remained Council owned but is relatively unused. The Council aims to sell-off the building, ideally to be converted into a luxury hotel.

Caves

The 2 level cave system is reached by an open well stair. The brick lined passages and cells were extensively modified during World War II for use as emergency headquarters and air raid shelters.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Victorian Nottingham. A Story in Pictures. Richard Iliffe and WIlfred Baguley. Volume 19.
  2. 1 2 UK CPI inflation numbers based on data available from Gregory Clark (2016), "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)" MeasuringWorth.
  3. ↑ Strangers Guide to Nottingham. 1892.
  4. ↑ The Architects' journal, Volume 218, 2003

Coordinates: 52°57′23″N 1°09′02″W / 52.95639°N 1.15056°W / 52.95639; -1.15056


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