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Birmingham Town Hall

Back to what the papers said.....

1. Berrow's Worcester Journal dated 1st May 1834 reported that Hanson & Welch were in difficulties.

However, as we all know, the building was completed and the postponed Birmingham Musical Festival did take place to great acclaim in the nation's press. In his opening post, Phil mentioned costs....

2. The Norwich Post dated 12th November 1834 quoted a figure. The last sentence refers to the cost of temporary accommodation for the Houses of Parliament following a fire. Nothing changes much where politicians are concerned!

3. Jackson's Oxford Journal dated 2nd May 1840 reported upon further enhancements to the organ built by Messrs Hill & Davison.

Maurice :cool:
 
Thanks Phil and Sospiri for posting all this interesting info about the Town Hall. It shows that you cannot beat going back to source material on historical events etc. I like to read original historical newspaper articles, not only for the information they give, but for the language used. Gives a great sense of the time in which they were written. The drawing in Phil's post 34 also is an excellent addition to the pictures posted in other threads about this part of B'ham pre- Town Hall. Thoroughly enjoying all these postings on B'ham's buildings. Thanks. Viv.
 
Phil
The drawing in post 34. Don't the crenellations on the top of the building on the right indicate that it was the building once "Allin's house of Curiosities", later Bryan's. which was on the corner of Congreve st and Ann St?
 
Mike thats quite true and across the road from there is where the Town Hall was built as can be seen in this later painting.

Phil

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Like the painting. Notice the two men carrying the Grecian urn across the square to the house of curiosities? Or to the Town Hall? Viv.
 
Phil, Im sorry, but have only just got round to seeing this thread, but the 5 pictures on your first post are great. No.2 I have never seen before, and No.3 just shows what a grand, majestic building it is. Im proud to say I sang in this building when I was at school. Great item this, thanks.
 
Fantastic photo's info and pictures Phil as Bazz said some we have not seen before...lovely!
 
In the Birmingham Mail's top 100 things that makes Birmingham great, the Town Hall came in at no. 10

Birmingham's Town Hall - modelled on the Temple of Castor and Pollux in Rome - was acclaimed at its opening in 1834 as the finest music hall in the country. Its list of famous acts rivals any venue in the UK - Elgar, Mendelssohn, Black Sabbath, Charles Dickens, Margaret Thatcher, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones have all appeared there. After a £35m renovation, it re-opened in 2007 and today enjoys an equally eclectic and impressive programme.
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A painting or maybe it’s a drawing of the specially erected dais built inside the Town Hall to receive HM Queen Victoria when she visited Birmingham on June 15th 1858 to open Aston Hall & Park.

Also another same of the interior of a packed hall in 1845 before the organ was moved back in to its specially built alcove which was recommended by Felix Mendelssohn after appearing at the Hall twice once in 1837 and again in 1847 to present an oratorio called Elijah written especially for Birmingham. He later in that same year died aged 38.

Phil

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Stunning pictures Phil of the interior and interesting background info too. It's a good reminder of how old the TH actually is and the history associated with it. Viv.
 
Lovely pictures Phil it's nice to see how the town hall looked originally. It has a balcony round it now which I didn't realise was not original.
 
Wendy

I think there has always been a balcony of sorts, as can be seen on this drawing of the premier of Elijah presented by Felix Mendelssohn in 1846.

Phil

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A few snippets to add from Cornish's 1851 "Stranger's Guide Through Birmingham".

The Hall was "esteemed the most spacious room in the kingdom"

It was built with "imperishable marble from the island of Anglesey"

Dimensions given in the book are

Height of basement: 23 feet
Height of column: 36 feet
Diameter of columns: 3 ft 6in

The great room: length 145 feet, breadth 65 feet and height 65 feet. This gave total 'cubical' feet as 600,000.

Finally Cornish's claims the organ cost £3000 - £4000. The organ case was 40 foot wide, 45 feet high and 17 feet deep.

Very impressive! Imagine visiting the place in the 1850's. Viv.
 
The built in situ organ was to be forty feet wide and forty five feet high. The largest diapason metal pipe which is front centre of the organ would be five feet tree inches in circumference and thirty five feet high. This information is just a little of that given on an appeal that was launched in 1833 to raise £2,000 toward the cost of building the organ.

If you click on the photo and enlarge it to its fullest extent you should be able to read the appeal set out underneath the artists impression of the organ.

The second photo is a drawing of the organ after it had been installed and set back in to its specially built new alcove. In my opinion it looks as if there has been a bit of artistic licence as it looks far bigger than I remember it.

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Phil said:
Wendy

I think there has always been a balcony of sorts, as can be seen on this drawing of the premier of Elijah presented by Felix Mendelssohn in 1846.

Phil
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Thanks Phil that has cleared that up!
 
Agree, Phil, there may have been some artistic licence here. I can't remember those proportions either. The figures in the 2nd picture look miniature alongside it. It's interesting that the appeal mentions the TH acoustics: "Without a column or impediment to obstruct the proper vibration of the sound". Not until reading that had I fully appreciated the Hall has no real inner columns or pillars etc. as in buildings of this scale. Viv.
 
Phil said:
A painting or maybe it’s a drawing of the specially erected dais built inside the Town Hall to receive HM Queen Victoria when she visited Birmingham on June 15th 1858 to open Aston Hall & Park.

Also another same of the interior of a packed hall in 1845 before the organ was moved back in to its specially built alcove which was recommended by Felix Mendelssohn after appearing at the Hall twice once in 1837 and again in 1847 to present an oratorio called Elijah written especially for Birmingham. He later in that same year died aged 38.

Phil
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Cornish's Guide to Birmingham 1858 gives an atmospheric description of Queen Victoria's visit to the Town Hall and illustrates the use of the setting in Phil's picture of the throne etc:

"The magnificent building was gorgeously decorated for the occasion. The Royal party entered the Hall admidst the thundering of cannon, the peeling of the national anthem, and the roar of thousands of voices. Her Majesty having taken her place before the throne, the Mayor (Mr. Ratcliff) presented an address on behalf of the Corporation, to which Her Majesty made a gracious reply. An address was also presented to the Prince Consort, and his reply having been received, Her Majesty commanded the Mayor to kneel and touching him with a sword on both shoulders, desired him to rise up "Sir John".

Viv
 
How's this for a seemingly pointless exercise? Back in the 1970s the city's planners discussed whether the Town Hall should be jacked up from it's foundations and turned so that it was directly aligned with Corporation Street!! Hardly the wisest use of council funds ...... :thumbsdown:
 
Frankly, I don't like the town hall and never have done. I think that I have previously stated that 'you have gota luv it' and I suppose that is about right for me...except I don't. It's not exactly an architectural masterpiece for me. How can it be when it is a seeming copy of the Parthenon. All of that went out when the romans developed concrete and wonderful arches and fine building techniques. And yet we have it. From some angles it looks to me like an air raid shelter. What a crime to demolish the old central library and college on Edmund street...and leave this building in place just because it was "the town hall". It stands out a bit better in it's present setting because it has better aspects from the western side...I suppose that is a consolation but we paid dearly for that.
 
totally agree with you about the old central library and the college rupert...its a crying shame we no longer have those fine buildings to admire...

lyn
 
artitecture like Art is a matter of personal choice and I can accept some people may not like the Town Hall, I agree that it is a copy of the parthenon but the Parthenon is such a wonderful classical building and well worth copying, I admire the Louve in Paris, would not mind Brum copying that also, better than, in my humble opinion, all this glass and concrete appearing every where - feel better now I have got that of my chest:D:D Eric
 
I love the Town Hall as well it looks wonderful at night lit up. I went to a concert there last year it was really nice and friendly so much better than the massive NEC. I am just so happy it was saved and restored. A great venue for artists of all sorts.
 
As I understand it, the Parthenon housed a god/godess and the treasury...kept it all safe from marauders in bad times. I don't think that Brum ever had any of this kind of stuff, at least in my time, to put in their version. Only lean pickings.
 
Rupert said:
As I understand it, the Parthenon housed a god/godess and the treasury...kept it all safe from marauders in bad times. I don't think that Brum ever had any of this kind of stuff, at least in my time, to put in their version. Only lean pickings.
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I think we can regard the long line of music festivals held in the Town Hall as 'treasure' as well as the special events it's witnessed such as the 1858 visit of Queen Victoria when she knighted John Ratcliff. :)

Showells Dictionary gives the first music festival held at the Town Hall as 7 - 10 October 1834. 21/- for a reserved seat and 10s 6d for unreserved seats at the morning performances, evenings a bit cheaper 15/- reserved and 8/- unreserved. All to a good cause; to raise funds for the General Hospital. I'm sure a highly valued activity. Viv
 
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OK Viv, treasure in a different way but there aren't a lot of seats in there. How about knocking the walls down and leaving the columns; thusly making for a large covered and outdoor arena. Outdoor seats in Victoria Square for a larger audience. Something like the 'three tenor' events. Perhaps raising and turning the hall to line up with...Colmore row...would make sense then. Oh and remove the slab frontage if it is still there. The war is over.
 
Interesting idea but not so sure Birmingham could justify this given they have the Symphony Hall, now run in partnership as a joint and complementary operation with the Town Hall. I think one of the plus factors for the TH is as Wendy suggests in her earlier post, it's a more intimate venue.

It's original purpose in 1834 was for the performance of music, political speechmaking, public gatherings and the urban community. To some extent it's outlived some of it's original purpose with, for example, less of a 'political speechmaking' function. But from the info on the TH & SH website it appears to be adapting and hoping to attract more community and corporate functions which, I'm sure, can equally be at home there, rather than in some modern, warehouse-like venue. Viv.
 
Viv

Here is a copy of a picture of the opening of the first Triennial music Festival to be held at the Town Hall in 1834. it is a drawing of the Company arriving outside the hall. Next a painting of the Town Hall illuminated by moonlight and gaslight for Wendy, does it look as good as the modern illuminations?

Phil

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Well Rupert,

It is each to his own, personally the only opinion I have of the building is that I would rather look at it than some of the modern stuff that Birmingham seems to delight in erecting these days.

Phil
 
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