Birkenhead Town Hall

Birkenhead Town Hall is a town hall and former civic building in Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. The building was the former administrative headquarters of the County Borough of Birkenhead and council offices for the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. As well as housing the town's register office, it is also home to the Wirral Museum and the Wirral Archives.

History

When Hamilton Square was designed in the early 19th century, a plot of land was made available for the siting of a town hall between Hamilton Street and Chester Street. However, it wasn't until 1887 that the current building was completed. Designed by local architect Charles Ellison in 1882, the building was constructed using Scottish granite and sandstone from the now filled in local quarry at Storeton.citebook|title=Birkenhead: An Illustrated History|first=Ralph T.|last=Brocklebank|publisher=Breedon Books|date=2003|isbn=1-85983-350-0] [ citeweb|url=http://www.wirral-mbc.gov.uk/history/WirralMuseum/Museum.asp|title=Wirral Museum (Birkenhead Town Hall)|work=Wirral Learning Grid|accessdate=15 September|accessyear=2007]

The building consisted of a council chamber, offices, with a concert hall and function rooms known as the Assembly Rooms. Birkenhead's magistrates' court chambers are located in a separate building of the same design to the rear. The clock tower is 200 feet in height and consists of four faces. After a fire in 1901, the upper part of the clock tower was rebuilt to a design by Henry Hartley. The rebuilding included a stained glass window by Gilbert P. Gamon representing Edward I's visit to Birkenhead Priory in 1277. The courtyard has an unusual 1905 monument to Queen Victoria in the form of a gothic spire with two tiers of arches supported by granite shafts.

Birkenhead Town Hall continued to be used as council offices until the early 1990s, when work was undertaken to restore the external stonework and many interior decorations and features, including the former council chamber. citeweb|url=http://www.wirral.gov.uk/LGCL/100009/200070/1017/content_0000527.html|title=Wirral Museum|work=Metropolitan Borough of Wirral|accessdate=15 September|accessyear=2007]

Current uses

Birkenhead Town Hall still retains some civic service, such as the municipal registration centre for births, marriages and deaths and as a venue for local and national elections. It is also utilised for the celebration of notable occasions and as the town's focal point for annual Remembrance Sunday ceremonies.

The Wirral Archives Service is based in the building and collects and stores all types of historical documents relating to the Wirral area, its people, businesses and institutions. Amongst the records in the collection are documents and photographs from Birkenhead's former Cammell Laird shipyard, which closed in 1993.

The Assembly Rooms have been made available for functions, events and as a venue for the arts, including concerts, theatrical performances and cinema presentations.

Wirral Museum

Since 2001, the Wirral Museum has occupied a significant portion of the building. It includes both themed and permanent exhibits such as the history and development of Wirral, the Cammell Laird collection, the Wirral Silver and Mayoral collections, Della Robbia Pottery and a detailled scale model of the historic Woodside area in 1934. [citeweb|url=http://www.visitwirral.com/site/attractions/wirral-museum-p44384|title=Wirral Museum|work=visitwirral.com|accessdate=15 September|accessyear=2007]

References

External links

* [http://www.wirral-libraries.net/archives/index.htm Wirral Archives]
* [http://www.wirral8.f9.co.uk/wirral/townhall.htm Birkenhead Town Hall bells]