The building was created as a home for the
Birmingham Triennial Music Festival established in 1784, the purpose of which was to raise funds for the
General Hospital, after
St Philip's Church (later to become a cathedral) became too small to hold the festival, and for public meetings. Two sites were considered by the
Birmingham Street Commissioners for the construction of a concert hall in the city; Bennetts Hill and the more expensive
Paradise Street site. The latter was chosen and a design competition was launched which resulted with the submission of 67 designs including one by
Charles Barry, whose design for the
King Edward's School on New Street was then under construction.
Joseph Hansom, of
Hansom cab fame, and
Edward Welch were chosen as the architects and they expressed that they expected the construction cost to be £8,000 (equivalent to £ in ). The first of the monumental
town halls that would come to characterise the cities of
Victorian England, Birmingham Town Hall was also the first significant work of the 19th-century revival of
Roman architecture, a style chosen here in the context of the highly charged radicalism of 1830s Birmingham for its
republican associations. The design was based on the proportions of the
Temple of Castor and Pollux in the
Roman Forum. "Perfect and aloof" on a tall, rusticated podium, it marked an entirely new concept in English architecture.
Hill of London was hired to build the 6,000 pipe organ for £6,000. Construction began on 27 April 1832 with an expected completion date of 1833. However, Hansom went bankrupt during construction, having tendered too low. The contractors were also losing money. Three guarantors donated money for the building; W. P. Lloyd, John Welch and Edward Tench. With the injection of this money, the building was successfully opened for the delayed Music Festival on 7 October 1834. During construction, on 26 January 1833, two workers were killed when a 70-foot crane constructed to install the roof trusses broke and the pulley block failed. John Heap died instantly and William Badger died a few days later from his injuries. They were buried in
St Philip's churchyard and a memorial, consisting of a pillar base made by one of the workmen for the Town Hall, was dedicated to them. Architect
Charles Edge was commissioned in 1835 to repair weaknesses to the design of the building. He was also commissioned for the extension of the building in 1837 and again in 1850. In December 1901, it was the scene of rioting on the occasion of a visit by
David Lloyd George. On 9 August 1902, the town hall, along with the council house, was illuminated in celebration of the coronation of
King Edward VII and
Queen Alexandra. and his wife
Elizabeth In 1937, as part of the celebrations for the Coronation of
George VI, the Town Hall was bedecked with the various Arms of the
Lord of the Manor of Birmingham since 1166 and each column festooned with garlands. The pediment also had images of Britannia, supported by mermaids, which were sculpted by
William Bloye. This decorative scheme for the Town Hall and the whole of the city was devised by
William Haywood, Secretary of The
Birmingham Civic Society. performs at Birmingham Town Hall on 7 March 1939, in aid of a local charity, the Birmingham Mail Christmas Tree Fund. The advertised pianist was
Lawrence Brown. Popular music has also featured, and in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, headline acts such as
Buddy Holly,
The Beatles,
Led Zeppelin,
Queen,
Pink Floyd,
Black Sabbath,
The Rolling Stones and
Bob Dylan appeared. and doubled for the
Royal Albert Hall in the 1996 film
Brassed Off.
Renovations is in the background. The Hall closed in 1996 for a £35 million refurbishment, undertaken by
Wates Construction, that saw the Town Hall brought back to its original glory with its 6,000-pipe organ still in place. It reopened for concerts on 4 October 2007, and was officially reopened on 22 April 2008 by TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall. During the years of refurbishment the side of the Town Hall facing
Victoria Square was hidden by giant advertising sheets, a giant
advent calendar, and during the
2002 FIFA World Cup a large outside television screen that was used to broadcast live matches from
Korea and
Japan. Although the television screen was only temporary, another "Big Screen" was erected on the corner of the building in Chamberlain Square facing
Birmingham Central Library, which broadcast live from the television channel
BBC One. The
BBC Big Screen was removed after much controversy. ==Architecture==