A tour of Glasgow's lavishly appointed City Chambers (Town Hall)


Introduction

Tonight, I am reporting on an escorted tour of Glasgow City Chambers (Town Hall). Purpose was to get a better understanding of the interior decor and design of this important building which was built 1883-1888. 

Information on the Tour 

This proved of great interest. A truly sumptuous building reflecting the grandeur and confidence of the late Victorian era.

  • Architect was William Young, a London based architect born in Paisley and trained in Glasgow.
  • Original budget was GBP150,000 compared to final cost of GBP578,232.
  • The first four to six feet of the external wall are of red Aberdeenshire granite from N.E. Scotland.
  • Entrance arch was influenced by the historical arch of Constantine in Rome.
  • Located in George Square, central Glasgow.
Picture gallery containing paintings and photographs of former provosts.


The following two images show the ground floor. (First floor in U.S.A.) The ceilings are decorated with mosaic tiles. Altogether some 1.5m tiles were laid in the ceilings and domes. The pillars are made from grey Aberdeen granite, hand-polished red Scottish granite and topped with dark green marble in Ionic style.



This is the Council Chamber with 79 seats for the Councillors. Decoration is primarily Spanish mahogany. Meetings are held at six weekly intervals.Centrepiece is the Lord Provost’s Chair which  was donated by Queen Victoria in 1888. (Lord Provost is equivalent to mayor in other jurisdictions.)



Cupola


Banqueting Hall


Decorative detail in Banqueting Hall


Internal stairway


Internal decor


Overall, an excellent tour.

More Information.

For more information on various other aspects of Scottish art, architecture & culture and help for tourists generally please refer to Visitors’ Guide to Scotland, ISBN 978-1-9161332-0-4.This publication is also available via Kindle.

 

 

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