Sutton Coldfield Town Hall

Sutton Coldfield Town Hall is a former hotel and council building in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, England. The building is a Grade A locally listed building. [cite web| url=http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/ELibrary?E_LIBRARY_ID=73&a=1141225252465 |title=Schedule of Locally Listed Buildings |publisher=Birmingham City Council |month=December |year=2007 |accessdate=2008-02-02]

The town hall's position on the edge of a steep slope means that it has views over large areas of south Sutton Coldfield whilst the northern area remains at the same or similar gradient.

Municipal buildings in Sutton Coldfield

A moot hall was built in Sutton Coldfield during the time of John Vesey, Bishop of Exeter at a site at the top of Mill Street. It was demolished following structural instability caused by the collapse of an upper floor due to the weight of crowds attending the funeral of Thomas Dawney in 1671. There were no fatalities or serious injuries."The Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield - A Commemorative History", Douglas V. Jones, 1994, Westwood Press (ISBN 0-9502636-7-2)]

A second moot hall was constructed on the same site soon after demolition. It remained in use up until 1854 when it too became structurally unsafe resulting in its demolition. The decision was taken for the workhouse and gaol to be renovated and turned into municipal offices. This was rebuilt in 1859 to better suit its purpose. The buildings were converted into a masonic hall upon the opening of the new town hall.

The almshouses beneath the building were removed in 1924 and the occupants moved to newly constructed almshouses in Walmley, in the southern area of Sutton Coldfield. ["Walmley and its surroundings", Douglas V. Jones, 1990, Westwood Press (ISBN 0-948025-11-5)]

History of the building

The building consists of an 1865 structure and an 1906 extension.

In 1865 the Royal Hotel was built on a small eminence above the newly opened railway station to serve the needs of visitors to the town. Throughout its short life, the hotel was beset with financial difficulties and closed in 1895. For a short time, the building was occupied by the Sutton Coldfield Sanatorium, but in December 1901, was sold for £9,000 to the Sutton Corporation to serve as Council Offices. The old Town Hall, in Mill Street, was sold in February 1903 and the Corporation began an ambitious extension to the building to provide a purpose built Town Hall comprising Council Chambers, Assembly Rooms and a Fire Station.

The extension was completed at a cost of £10,000 and opened as Sutton Coldfield Town Hall on September 19, 1906 by the Mayor, Councillor R. H. Sadler, though the fire headquarters had been opened a few months earlier. The opening event was an evening concert by the Sutton Coldfield Choral Society. The following night, an amateur dramatic performance of "The Duke of Killicrankie" was given by A. C. Fraser Wood and Company. All operations were moved from the previous town hall on Mill Street to the new building. The area to the front of the town hall, King Edwards Square, became the main public assembly area and the stocks were displayed to the public in the square (now on display at Blakesley Hall).

In 1919, the town hall was used as a theatre for discharged and demobilized men who had fought in World War I. It remained as such up until 1934 having hosted productions such as "The School for Scandal", "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "The Merchant of Venice".

The Fire Station remained in use until it was replaced by a new building on Lichfield Road in 1963; later the old premises became the Bedford Suite. When Sutton Coldfield was absorbed into Birmingham in 1974, the Town Hall became redundant and was required to change its usage. During the transformation, the original elegant and elaborate architecture to minor details were retained. The original interior decor, which is equally detailed, remained however some has been removed due to damage. The tower, which rises from one of the main entrances, has a clock face on all four sides. When first opened, the clock tower also served as a hose tower and a ventilation shaft for the fire headquarters. The Sutton Coldfield coat of arms, which was absorbed into the Birmingham Coat of Arms, is located above the entrance.

War memorial

Standing outside the town hall in King Edward Square is a war memorial commemorating those who died in World War I. Unveiled on November 1, 1922, it consists of single 1.8 metre bronze figure on a 4.6 metre Dalbeattie granite pedestal. Inscribed in the pedestal is:

Erected to the glorious memory of the men of Sutton Coldfield who gave their lives in the Great War 1914-1919; and they died that we may live.

cite book| title=Public Sculpture of Birmingham |last=Noszlopy |first=George Thomas |coauthors= Jeremy Beach |pages=77-8 |publisher=Liverpool University Press |year=1998 |isbn=0853236925]

The memorial was subject to debate immediately after the war. The design by Francis-Doyle Jones was selected by the Sutton Coldfield District Council committee in November 1919 and he promised not to produce a model like it anywhere else in Warwickshire and in only two other locations in the rest of the United Kingdom. The cost of the memorial was met by the Voluntary Subscription Fund. Doyle-Jones had prepared his clay model by March 1922 and the bronze figure was completed on by July 1922. Doyle-Jones was paid £1,650. The memorial was intended to be unveiled on August 31, 1922, however, delays caused by the stonemason set this date back to November 1. The memorial was restored in 1979.

The town hall at present

The town hall is now a theatre and a centre for social functions. Large joint productions by Bishop Vesey's Grammar School and Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls are performed at the town hall. Concerts are also performed there with recent performers being the CBSO. It is also a wedding venue.

The annexe of the building is also used as the Sutton Coldfield constituency office for Birmingham City Council. [ [http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/GenerateContent?CONTENT_ITEM_ID=70093&CONTENT_ITEM_TYPE=0&MENU_ID=13248 Sutton Coldfield Constituency Team] - Birmingham.gov.uk] The small car parking area to the front of the town hall is known as King Edward's Square.

On October 9 2006, work to repair the roof and refurbish the building. It will cost £46,000 and take 20 weeks to complete. Areas of the building in need of repair included the roof of the Vesey Lounge which was leaking, with water affecting both the internal decoration and the lounge's carpet. [" [http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/GenerateContent?CONTENT_ITEM_ID=91141&CONTENT_ITEM_TYPE=9&MENU_ID=276 Roof repairs start at Sutton Coldfield Town Hall] " - Birmingham.gov.uk, 9 October, 2006]

References

* [http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/GenerateContent?CONTENT_ITEM_ID=392&CONTENT_ITEM_TYPE=7&MENU_ID=188 Birmingham.gov.uk entry with brief history]
* [http://www.leisure.birmingham.gov.uk/sites/town_hall/intro.htm Main website]

External links

* [http://www.virtualbrum.co.uk/images/SuttonColdfield/townhall.jpgImage of Town Hall]