Nottingham Council House

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Council House from Old Market Square, Nottingham.

Exchange Arcade, Nottingham.

The Council House is the city hall of Nottingham, England. Its 200 foot-high dome dominates a city skyline which is packed with elegant architecture and presides magnificently over the Old Market Square, the grand central open space of Nottingham. It is claimed that the chimes of Little John (the deepest bell in the United Kingdom) can be heard for a distance of seven miles around the building itself. The Council House was designed by Thomas Cecil Howitt and built between 1927 and 1929 in the neo-Baroque style.

It has staged many glittering occasions; royalty, statesmen and women and stars of the stage and screen have been entertained there and both the F.A. and European Cups have been held aloft from its balcony.

1 Layout
- 1.1 Exchange Arcade
2 References
3 External links

[edit] Layout

It has five main rooms:

The Ballroom, which is similar in style to that at the Palace of Versailles, with gilt embellished columns and a highly decorated ceiling. It is from here that people (dignatories) gain access to the balcony overlooking the Old Market Square.
The Dining Room which has walnut panelling and a marble fireplace, and is generally for smaller events.
The Committee Room, which is on the second floor, containing a horseshoe table in walnut veneer, and is where most executive board meetings are held.
The Tea Room, which is smaller still, on the third floor, and holds up to 30 people.
Finally, Council Chamber itself. The seating is arranged in a semi-circle so no one is more than 26ft from the Lord Mayor, above whose dais can be found two Latin inscriptions whose translations read "Laws are made for the welfare of the citizens and the city" and "It is the highest justice to give each man his due".

[edit] Exchange Arcade

The ground floor is predominantly an upmarket shopping mall called Exchange Arcade which houses numerous boutique stores. This was included in the building's design to fund the Corporation's construction of the building, during the Great Depression.

[edit] References

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