Wolverhampton Civic Centre

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.

Wolverhampton Civic Centre
Wolverhampton Civic Centre
Wolverhampton Civic Centre
Location within West Midlands county
General information
Architectural stylePostmodern style
LocationWolverhampton, West Midlands
Coordinates52.5868°N 2.1298°W / 52.5868; -2.1298
Inaugurated1978
OwnerCity of Wolverhampton Council
Design and construction
ArchitectClifford Culpin & Partners
Main contractorTaylor Woodrow

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 sculpter, 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. "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. "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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