City Hall, Cardiff

Cardiff City Hall
The City Hall logo with "VC" stands for Villa Cardiff.
General information
Architectural style	Edwardian Baroque
Town or city	Cardiff
Country	Wales
Completed	1906
Cost	£226,288[1]
Design and construction
Client	Corporation of Cardiff
Architect	Henry Vaughan Lanchester James Stewart Edwin Alfred Rickards

City Hall is a civic building in Cathays Park, Cardiff, Wales. Built of Portland stone, it became the fifth building to serve as Cardiff's centre of local government when it opened in October 1906. The competition to design a town hall and adjacent law courts for Cardiff was won in 1897 by the firm of Lanchester, Stewart and Rickards. Construction was carried out by local builders, E. Turner and Sons. Cardiff received its city charter while construction was underway, in 1905. The building is an important early example of the Edwardian Baroque style.

Exterior Architecture

Clock Tower

The distinctive Clock Tower is 194 feet in height has a 12 foot diameter gilded dial on each of its four faces. The clock mechanism includes an hour bell and four quarter bells which are each inscribed with mottoes in English or Welsh.^[2]

Fountains and Pool

In front of the entrance portico is a rectangular pool with fountains. These were created in July 1969 to mark the investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales.^[2]

Interior Rooms, Functions and Art Collections

The Marble Hall

The first floor landing of City Hall is decorated with statues in Pentelicon marble of famous figures from Welsh history. These were funded by a gift from David Alfred Thomas, 1st Viscount Rhondda; the personages to be commemorated were decided by a competition in the Western Mail. The Marble Hall was unveiled by David Lloyd George, then Secretary of State for War, on October 27, 1916.^[1]

• Boudica by J. Havard Thomas
• Saint David by Sir William Goscombe John
• Hywel Dda (King Howell the Good) by F. W. Pomeroy
• Gerald of Wales by Henry Poole
• Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf (Llywelyn II, the last ruling Prince of Wales) by Henry Albert Pegram
• Dafydd ap Gwilym by W. W. Wagstaff
• Owain Glyndŵr by Alfred Turner
• Henry VII by Ernest Gillick
• Bishop William Morgan by T. J. Clapperton
• William Williams, Pantycelyn by L. S. Merrifield
• Sir Thomas Picton by T. Mewburn Crook

The Assembly Room

This room has hosted royalty, international statesmen and diplomats and can seat 500 diners simultaneously. It is used for miscellaneous ceremonies, conferences and events during the year. It is decorated with mouldings picked out in gold leaf, of mermaids and other sea creatures. Three large bronze chandeliers are contemporary to the original architects' design.^[2]

The Council Chamber

This is located above the main entrance portico and directly below the main dome of the building. The chamber was designed to host Cardiff's Council meetings (which have subsequently been relocated to Atlantic Wharf). The dome of City Hall is supported by four massive pillars of Italian marble. The Chamber is panelled throughout in oak.^[2]

In popular culture

The cover of the Catatonia single "Mulder and Scully" has a UFO above the building similar to the movie poster for Independence Day.

External links

• Cardiff City Hall official site
• The history of the Marble Hall

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Chappell, Edgar L. (1946). Cardiff's Civic Centre: A historical guide. Priory Press. , pp. 21–6
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Cardiff Council City Hall Cardiff: Visitor Information Guide Second edition, 2006

Coordinates: 51°29′06″N 3°10′43″W / 51.48504°N 3.17857°W / 51.48504; -3.17857