Guildhall, Guildhall Square, Plymouth

The Guildhall, Great Hall, Assize Courts and City Treasury were built in 1870-74. They were designed by Norman and Hine of Plymouth who were the winners of a competition, judged by Alfred Waterhouse. The building was reduced to a shell during the Blitz. The part containing the Municipal Offices was demolished and the rest was re-roofed, restored and reopened in 1959. After the war there was a plan to demolish the Guildhall. It was only saved from demolition by a single Council vote in 1951. It survived as the focus of Plymouth's rebuilding, as perhaps the most significant 19th century survival from the bombed city centre.

Location

Plymouth Plymouth

Period

Victorian (1837 - 1901)

Tags

town hall council war bomb blitz World War Two (1939 - 1945) Victorian (1837 - 1901)