Wallasey Town Hall including podium facing walls and steps, concrete retaining walls and steps down to the promenade, boundary walls and railings including light standards, and railings to front lawns, Seacombe, Wirral

Summary

A town hall begun in 1914, opened in 1916 as a military hospital and as a town hall in 1920, by Briggs, Wolstenholme and Thornely, in a free neo-Grecian style of cream Stancliffe (Darley Dale) sandstone.

Description

A town hall begun in 1914, opened in 1916 as a military hospital and as a town hall in 1920, by Briggs, Wolstenholme and Thornely.

MATERIALS: cream Stancliffe (Darley Dale) sandstone, Westmorland green slate roof to front range, iron framing with concrete floors, metal and timber windows.

PLAN: a quadrangular building with cross range and four irregular lightwells. It is formed of a front (civic hall) south-west range, riverside (council chamber) north-east range with square tower behind, and side ranges linked by a central north-west - south-east cross-range and a north-east - south-west stair and lift spine. The front range has a hipped roof, and the remaining ranges have flat roofs. The building stands above a terraced green sward with a cascade of steps with quadrant walls at the foot sloping down north-eastwards to the promenade.

EXTERIOR: in a free neo-Grecian style in a Beaux Arts tradition in ashlar stonework, rusticated to the ground floor. Generally of three storeys plus a basement and some attics.

The nine-bay front range faces west onto Brighton Street with slightly projecting three-storey pavilions towards each end flanking a tall piano-nobile civic hall of seven large arched windows divided by tall pilasters. Pierced parapet between the pediments and blind attics of the pavilions. A full entablature with triglyphs, mutules and guttae, a milled plat band and ashlar plinth. The hipped green slate roof is visible above, as is the building's rear tower. The central bay has a projecting entrance with panelled doors, and cast-iron railings to a balcony above, the balcony doorway surmounted by an urn, and its host window with a figured keystone and garland, and a relief to the parapet above (depicting the dolphin and trident of the borough’s arms, granted in 1910). The entrance has a later access ramp and railings. The other first-floor windows have keystones and cavetto surrounds, and sill bands and aprons. The ground-floor windows also have aprons, shoulder ornamentation and ashlar surrounds. The pillars between have drops from lion masks on the plat band above. The deep central window recesses of the pedimented pavilions are flanked by giant columns in antis. Ground-floor entrances to each are flat-headed with radiating voussoirs and a large metal lantern, and are flanked by slit windows. The outer returns of the pavilion projections have large cast-iron rainwater hoppers dated 1916.

The north-west range is arranged in (from the left) 3:11:5 bays; the three left bays comprising the projecting end of the rear riverside range, and the five right bays that of the front range, with the intervening eleven bays recessed. The five-bay return of the front range continues the treatment of the front pavilions, its central three bays slightly projecting under a pediment and with a giant order of pilasters over three arched entrances with panelled doors and decorative overlights. The stair and gallery windows below the pediment are arched. To the left of this, all ground-floor windows are arched with keystones, and others flat. The 11-bay range is simpler with a plain frieze and plat band. There is a full basement area (partially infilled by a later store) with cast-iron railings with pine-cone finials, bridged at the central entrance bay which has a projecting first-floor balcony with carving and railings; the bridge is flanked by original light standards with replacement fittings. The left bay of the 11 has an inserted ramped entrance. The three-bay return of the rear block has a decorative frieze and milled plat band, and giant order of pilasters. The inner returns of the projecting front and rear blocks have rainwater pipes with the same dated hoppers as the front range.

The rear riverside (north-east) range is even more elaborate and is of 15 bays with wide corner pilasters and projecting central five bays. The corner pilasters have a garlanded blind oculus, milled plat band and arched ground-floor niche. The main walling is similar to the side range described above, but with corniced lintels to the first floor. The basement area is walled, with bricked-up openings. The central projection has a pierced parapet between blind attics, with decorative frieze and milled plat band, giant pilasters and blind oculi to its outer bays and central tall arched windows and attached columns marking the council chamber; the windows with elaborate figurative keyblocks. A pyramidal flight of steps approaches the ground floor, with a central entrance. Later grilles protect the accessible ground-floor openings. Rising above and behind the central projection is a landmark tower rising to 55m. It is of three stages, blind at the base with an open central stage forming a lantern with large round-headed arches and connecting open screens with columns and entablatures. The upper stage has large, seated figures by William Birnie Rhind to the corners representing peace, courage, prudence and industry. Each face has an in-antis portico, which support a ziggurat surmounted by a copper urn.

The south-east range is similar to the north-west range, but with a slightly different arrangement of openings to the side return of the front range, including an inserted entrance in one of the ground-floor windows. A photovoltaic array*, which is excluded from the listing, is fitted to the flat roof of the south-east range.

The exterior walls of the internal lightwells are in scored render or white glazed tiles. A glazed south-east stair tower* is modern and is excluded from the listing.

INTERIOR: much of the original office plan has been opened out although corridors retain many original doorsets, some relocated. However, the principal plan and key spaces remain relatively little-altered. Most stairs and corridors are marble-floored. There are some inserted suspended ceilings and replacement light fittings. The kitchen to the south of the stage has modern equipment.

The central imperial-style stair hall has ceilings supported by fluted columns and pilasters, and double doors with margin and saltire panes. Brass plaques of 1992 carry the roll of honour of the Second World War. The marble stairs have cast-iron balusters and elaborate openwork lamp holders with rams’ heads, supplied by Walter Macfarlane and Co. At the head of the main stair is a display case.

The ante-room to the first-floor council chamber is panelled and vaulted. The council chamber at the east end has panelled dado, fluted wooden Corinthian pilasters, a complex plaster ceiling with central roundel, public gallery and good quality furnishings, with more rams’ heads. The nearby Mayor’s parlour retains timber and plaster decoration, fireplace and furnishings. The civic hall at the west end is barrel vaulted with elaborate plasterwork, the cornices returning to form open screens at both ends, and massive bronze and glass light fittings. Timber dado panelling and elaborate entrance architraves also survive. At the hall’s south end there is a stage with proscenium. A circular ante-chamber to the hall’s east is similarly styled with dome and central lantern, and plaster wall decoration.

The original lift cage survives in the north-east corner (with modern lift) and there is a second impressive stair hall at the north-west entrance, accessing the civic hall (also with Macfarlane’s balustrades). Several original cloakrooms retain decorative tiling, original sanitary ware and marble stall dividers. A short section of corridor wall panelling survives in the south-east corner, and most corridors have original gilt radiator-shelves (some now painted). The upper floors of the front range retain original stage machinery, including a liftable ceiling to the stage, as well as dressing rooms with sliding doors, and some original wall-lights.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: the building stands on a podium with stone facing walls and steps, and similar railings and light standards to those of the basement areas. To the east, concrete retaining walls and four flights of steps cascade to the riverfront, with similar railings, handrails and light standards. The podium and riverfront terraces are flagged with replaced concrete paving. Modern plaques to the retaining wall at the foot commemorate the staff who operated the hospital here, and the victims of the Hillsborough disaster, to whom the terraced gardens are now dedicated. To the front of the building, low railings of the same design surround lawns.

Pursuant to s1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (‘the Act’) it is declared that the glazed south-east stair tower and the rooftop photovoltaic array are not of special architectural or historic interest. However any works which have the potential to affect the character of the listed building as a building of special architectural or historic interest may still require listed building consent and this is a matter for the local planning authority to determine.

History

The foundation stone for the new Wallasey Town Hall was laid by King George V during a visit to Cheshire by the King and Queen Mary on 25 March 1914. The ceremony took place over half a mile away in Liscard’s Central Park with an audience of over 40,000 people, and was electrically actuated – this was one of four electric buttons the King pressed that day, having also opened a new wing at Chester infirmary, laid the foundation stone of the Lady Lever Art Gallery (Grade II), and opened an extension to the park at Bidston Hill.

A design competition for the town hall had been held in 1904 when Wallasey was an urban district council, attracting 96 entries. A scheme by Briggs, Wolstenholme and Thornely (designers of the Port of Liverpool building, Grade II*) for a Baroque red brick building with white stone dressings and a green slate roof won the competition (although the designers were reported at the time to be Briggs and Thornely, Wolstenholme was still a partner for many years after). The council requested that two towers be added to the Brighton Street frontage, and a tower to the river frontage, and these were included in drawings of the design published in 1905.

For unknown reasons the project stalled, and Wallasey became a municipal borough in 1910. In 1912 the proposed site of North Meade house in Seacombe, which had been bought by the council in 1899, was finally confirmed after some debate about alternatives. In 1913 Wallasey became a county borough, and the contract was let, with work starting on site that year. The final design was more correctly Classical, in the Greek tradition. The Brighton Street frontage no longer had towers, a porte-cochere and three monumental arched windows. A smaller version of the latter feature was instead added to the centre of the river frontage, whose tower was moved back from the façade, replacing a smaller ventilation cupola of the earlier design.

In 1915 it was proposed to postpone completion until after the First World War. However, the growing need for military hospitals led to the council instead offering the building for that purpose. The building was completed and around 400 hospital beds installed, and in 1916 it was placed under the command of the 1st Western General Hospital in Fazakerley. It hosted around 3,500 casualties during and after the conflict.

In 1919 it was returned to the council and officially opened as Wallasey Town Hall on 3 November 1920. In 1926 the former organ of City Hall, Dublin was bought and installed in the civic hall. It was badly damaged by a German bomb on 31 August 1940 and removed, with some parts eventually being reused in New Zealand. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited the town hall to inspect the damage on 6 November 1940.

On 13 July 1957 Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, became the third reigning monarch to visit the town hall, waving to the crowd from the balcony. The town hall continued to serve as the headquarters of the county borough, and from 1974 the enlarged Metropolitan Borough of Wirral.

Alterations in the late C20 and early C21 include some modern automatic doors at the front entrance, opening out of offices and the steward’s flat to create committee rooms with public seating, public-facing suites and new office spaces, and replacement of non-original light fittings, as well as removal of panelling from some corridors and offices. A new stair and lift were installed in the south-east lightwell, and an access ramp at the front entrance. The building was listed in 1990. The stair hall has a non-original paint scheme (historic photographs suggest that the original finish imitated unpainted stonework), together with brass plaques installed in 1992 recording the borough’s roll of honour for the Second World War. Side spaces house modern displays relating to borough history, the hospital use, a remarkable twelve Victoria Cross winners, and strong links with American servicemen of the Second World War.

The building is still (in 2023) in limited use for meetings and events, but has been closed for general use since 2020.

Reasons for Listing

Wallasey Town Hall, a town hall begun in 1914 and opened in 1920 after use as a war hospital, is listed at Grade II* for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* as a strikingly monumental town hall with a dramatic pyramidal-capped landmark tower and cascade of steps prominently sited on the riverfront of the Mersey and reflecting the ambition of the new borough created in 1913,
* designed by Briggs, Wolstenholme and Thornely, noted architects who had earlier completed the Port of Liverpool building;
* it is a building highly expressive of pride in the enhanced civic identity of Wallasey, shown both in the architectural grandeur of its exterior and in the lavish exuberance of its interior, both incorporating local civic symbolism, and culminating in the flamboyance of the vast barrel-vaulted civic hall;
* with good survival of features, including external street furniture and internal marble flooring, decorative cast-iron, richly ornate plaster and timber decoration, and many original fixtures and furnishings, particularly in public areas including cloakrooms, but also including back-stage areas and dressing rooms for the stage.

Historic interest:

* it reflects the importance of Wallasey in the late C19 and early C20, arising from its position close to the mouth of the River Mersey, its strong maritime, trade and industrial links, and its development as a seaside resort;
* for its use as a military hospital during the First World War, serving over 3500 wounded soldiers.

External Links

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