Wolverhampton Civic Centre
Wolverhampton Civic Centre
Wolverhampton Civic Centre is located in West Midlands county
Wolverhampton Civic Centre
Wolverhampton Civic Centre
Location within West Midlands county
General information
Architectural stylePostmodern style
LocationWolverhampton, West Midlands
Coordinates52°35′12″N 2°07′47″W / 52.5868°N 2.1298°W / 52.5868; -2.1298
Inaugurated1978
OwnerCity of Wolverhampton Council
Design and construction
Architect(s)Clifford Culpin & Partners
Main contractorTaylor Woodrow

Wolverhampton Civic Centre is a municipal building in the City of Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. The building houses a council chamber for City of Wolverhampton Council.

History

Following the implementation of re-organisation associated with the Local Government Act 1972, the new Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough Council gained enhanced powers and decided to commission a modern facility to replace the old Town Hall on the opposite side of North Street.[1] The site chosen for the new building was previously occupied by the old Wholesale Market which was demolished in May 1973.[2] The statue of Lady Wulfruna by the sculptor, Sir Charles Wheeler, was erected on the site, to commemorate the centenary of the founding of the newspaper the Express & Star, in 1974.[3]

The new building, which was designed by Clifford Culpin & Partners in the Postmodern style and built by Taylor Woodrow Construction, was completed in 1978.[4] It was officially opened by the Prime Minister James Callaghan on 24 February 1979.[5][6] The design, which involved a stepped profile for the building and located it on a large piazza, has similarities with the Panch Mahal in Fatehpur Sikri.[7] It received a Civic Trust Award in 1979.[7]

Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh visited the civic centre and met with civic leaders on 24 June 1994 and signed the visitors' book before departing for a tour of the new Molineux Stadium.[2][8] Environmental works to improve the open area between the civic centre and St Peter's Collegiate Church were carried out with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund between 1996 and 2004.[9]

A substantial programme of restoration works for the civic centre and its car park, to a design by Associated Architects, was carried out by Speller Metcalfe at a cost of £22 million and completed in 2018.[10][11] The restoration work involved changes to the interior layout to create an open-plan environment: it also included creation of a new customer service centre on the ground floor.[12]

References

  1. ↑ "Old Town Hall – Magistrates Courts". History Website. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Chronology: 1960 to 1999". History website. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  3. ↑ Blamire-Brown, John. "Sir Charles Wheeler KCVO" (PDF). Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  4. ↑ "Wolverhampton Civic Centre". Royal Institute of British Architects. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  5. ↑ "Wolverhampton Civic Centre". History Website. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  6. ↑ "Black Country Bugle, No. 652". Wolverhampton Archives & Local Studies. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  7. 1 2 "Civic Trust Awards in Wolverhampton". History Website. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  8. ↑ "Visitor Books" (PDF). City of Wolverhampton. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  9. ↑ "Wolverhampton Civic Centre: Conservation Area Appraisal" (PDF). Wolverhampton Civic Centre. p. 18. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  10. ↑ "£22million Wolverhampton Civic Centre revamp branded a disgrace". Express and Star. 26 June 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  11. ↑ "Speller Metcalfe awarded £4.9m Wolverhampton city centre market job". Express and Star. 12 December 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  12. ↑ "Wolverhampton Civic Centre". Speller Metcalfe. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
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