It was famed as being the finest music hall in the country when it threw open its doors just over 180 years ago and is now a Grade I Listed feather in Birmingham’s cap.
It was even the spot where the great Charles Dickens gave public readings of his work to city folk – including A Christmas Carol on Boxing Day of 1853.
As part of a £35 million refurbishment Birmingham Town Hall was closed for just over a decade, but since its grand reopening in 2007 – officially opened by Prince Charles and Camilla in 2008 – it’s continued the concert hall tradition for which it was created.
Originally envisaged to be the place where the then long-running Birmingham’s Triennial Music Festival – raising cash for the city’s General Hospital – was staged it was designed by Joseph Hansom, of Hansom cab fame, and Edward Welch.
The duo emerged victorious from a competition that had attracted 67 entries – including one from Sir Charles Barry, who rebuilt the London Houses of Parliament in the mid-19th century.
Birmingham Town Hall’s neo-classical design – it came at a time of highly-charged radicalism – is based on the ancient Temple of Castor and Pollux in the Roman Forum, Rome and represented an entirely new concept in English architecture.
It was the first of the monumental town halls that came to characterise English Victorian cities, and the first significant work of the 19th century revival of Roman architecture.
While building construction costs were originally estimated at £8,000 – roughly £660,000 today – its famous 6,000 pipe organ, from Hill of London, had a £6,000 price tag.
Hansom had actually tendered too low and went bankrupt during construction. Guarantors were forced to step in to fund the end of the work – the actual construction cost being £25,000.
Over the years the hall, which was extended twice in 1837 and 1850, under architect Charles Edge, has staged a wide variety of music from classical to pop and rock as well as staging famous public meetings and readings.
Many famous musicians became involved over the years, including Mendelssohn, Saint-Saëns, Grieg, Sibelius, Dvorák and Elgar. Mendelssohn’s great association culminated in the première of Elijah, commissioned for the 1846 Birmingham Triennial Festival. Edward Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius was premièred in 1900, followed by The Apostles and The Kingdom in 1903 and 1906 respectively and The Music Makers in 1912. The 1912 Festival was the last as they did not resume after the outbreak of war in 1914.
As well as being the former home venue for the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra for over 70 years (1918 until 1991) until it moved to Symphony Hall, it has also seen the likes of Buddy Holly, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath, and Bob Dylan taking to its stage.