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Council House, Coventry

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In September 2017, the council moved some 1,500 staff to its new 13-storey tower block at One Friargate. They had previously been housed in a large Civic Centre complex, dating in part from the 1950s, which had faced the east wing of the Council House, and which had latterly been linked to it by a
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as the headquarters of the mayor and city corporation. The site on Earl Street had previously been occupied by a row of shops. A design for new municipal offices on the site was approved in 1895, but a dispute then arose as to whether shops should be incorporated into the ground floor of the new
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It was mainly an office building, designed to accommodate 1,500 people working across the various different municipal departments (ranging from the Town Clerk and City Treasurer to medical, police, education and waterworks officials); but it also contained large formal rooms such as the Council
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of Birmingham. The brief had been for designs to be submitted for both municipal offices and a town hall, to be envisioned 'as a single scheme' but with the
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It was finally resolved to proceed without shops; the competitive process for a new design was announced in 1910 and won by architects Edward Garrett and
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metal walkway over Earl Street (dating from the 1970s). The former Civic Centre was largely demolished after the council had moved out.
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Chamber, Mayor's Parlour and various committee rooms, many of which were decorated with carvings representing the
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buildings; this was not swiftly resolved and, though the site was cleared, it remained vacant for over a decade.
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that the town hall might not (or not immediately) be built, as indeed turned out to be the case.
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translates as "The Prince's Chamber", used because Coventry was regarded as the chamber of
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of Coventry over the entrance to the Council House. Coventry's motto
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of Derby, working to Simister's ornamental design (dated 1914, is a
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Grade II listed buildings in the West Midlands (county)
356:. A large clock tower was built, topped by a figure of 16:
Municipal building in Coventry, West Midlands, England
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Council House in its setting at Council House Square
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Coventry Live. 10 September 2015 654: 507:National Heritage List for England 340:only took place on 11 June 1920. 14: 931: 636:. Visit Coventry and Warwickshire 471: 447: 428: 416: 36: 865: 839: 814: 792: 770: 723: 701: 675: 612:Coventry and Warwickshire News 583:"History of the Council House" 546: 336:, the official opening by the 1: 556:. Coventry Live. 13 June 2013 483: 711:. A History Tour of Coventry 657:"Council House, Earl Street" 7: 348:. The exterior was clad in 279:The Council House, Coventry 10: 936: 409: 304: 826:Twentieth Century Society 360:; the clock was built by 249: 244: 233: 228: 220: 215: 205: 190: 182: 174: 135: 127: 117: 109: 105: 101: 91: 83: 73: 66: 56: 51: 47: 35: 28: 23: 634:"Coventry Council House" 464:Edward, the Black Prince 299:Grade II-listed building 295:seat of local government 822:"Coventry Civic Centre" 229:Design and construction 24:Council House, Coventry 352:stone and roofed with 194:11 June 1920 587:Coventry City Council 529:"St Mary's Guildhall" 319:Henry Walter Simister 291:Coventry City Council 239:Henry Walter Simister 210:Coventry City Council 175:Construction started 709:"The Council House" 362:J. Smith & Sons 311:St Mary's Guildhall 155: /  57:Architectural style 52:General information 733:. Coventry Society 159:52.4072°N 1.5079°W 92:Reference no. 758:. Britain Express 663:on 4 October 2012 330:Elizabethan style 276: 275: 216:Technical details 30:The Council House 927: 889: 888: 886: 884: 869: 863: 862: 860: 858: 843: 837: 836: 834: 832: 818: 812: 811: 809: 807: 796: 790: 789: 787: 785: 774: 768: 767: 765: 763: 752: 743: 742: 740: 738: 727: 721: 720: 718: 716: 705: 699: 698: 696: 694: 679: 673: 672: 670: 668: 652: 646: 645: 643: 641: 630: 624: 623: 621: 619: 614:. 23 August 2000 604: 598: 597: 595: 593: 579: 566: 565: 563: 561: 550: 544: 543: 541: 539: 525: 519: 518: 516: 514: 498:Historic England 494: 475: 460:Camera Principis 451: 432: 420: 392:Second World War 285:, England, is a 272: 269: 267: 265: 263: 261: 259: 257: 255: 253: 237:Edward Garrett, 201: 199: 170: 169: 167: 166: 165: 164:52.4072; -1.5079 160: 156: 153: 152: 151: 148: 40: 21: 20: 935: 934: 930: 929: 928: 926: 925: 924: 895: 894: 893: 892: 882: 880: 871: 870: 866: 856: 854: 845: 844: 840: 830: 828: 820: 819: 815: 805: 803: 798: 797: 793: 783: 781: 776: 775: 771: 761: 759: 756:"Council House" 754: 753: 746: 736: 734: 729: 728: 724: 714: 712: 707: 706: 702: 692: 690: 681: 680: 676: 666: 664: 653: 649: 639: 637: 632: 631: 627: 617: 615: 606: 605: 601: 591: 589: 581: 580: 569: 559: 557: 552: 551: 547: 537: 535: 527: 526: 522: 512: 510: 495: 491: 486: 479: 476: 467: 452: 443: 433: 424: 421: 412: 346:Forest of Arden 334:First World War 307: 250: 197: 195: 163: 161: 157: 154: 149: 146: 144: 142: 141: 79: 76:Listed Building 43: 31: 17: 12: 11: 5: 933: 923: 922: 917: 912: 907: 891: 890: 864: 838: 813: 791: 769: 744: 722: 700: 674: 647: 625: 599: 567: 545: 520: 488: 487: 485: 482: 481: 480: 477: 470: 468: 453: 446: 444: 441:leaded windows 434: 427: 425: 422: 415: 411: 408: 400:King George VI 396:Coventry Blitz 379:in Coventry), 354:Cotswold stone 306: 303: 274: 273: 247: 246: 242: 241: 235: 231: 230: 226: 225: 222: 218: 217: 213: 212: 207: 203: 202: 192: 188: 187: 184: 180: 179: 176: 172: 171: 139: 133: 132: 131:United Kingdom 129: 125: 124: 119: 115: 114: 111: 107: 106: 103: 102: 99: 98: 93: 89: 88: 85: 81: 80: 74: 71: 70: 68: 67:Classification 64: 63: 58: 54: 53: 49: 48: 45: 44: 41: 33: 32: 29: 26: 25: 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 932: 921: 918: 916: 913: 911: 908: 906: 903: 902: 900: 878: 874: 868: 852: 848: 842: 827: 823: 817: 801: 795: 779: 773: 757: 751: 749: 732: 726: 710: 704: 688: 684: 678: 662: 658: 655:Orland, Rob. 651: 635: 629: 613: 609: 603: 588: 584: 578: 576: 574: 572: 555: 549: 534: 530: 524: 509: 508: 503: 499: 493: 489: 474: 469: 465: 461: 457: 450: 445: 442: 438: 431: 426: 419: 414: 413: 407: 403: 401: 397: 393: 388: 386: 382: 378: 375:(who founded 374: 369: 367: 363: 359: 355: 351: 347: 341: 339: 335: 331: 326: 324: 320: 315: 312: 302: 300: 296: 292: 288: 287:Tudor Revival 284: 280: 271: 248: 243: 240: 236: 232: 227: 223: 219: 214: 211: 208: 204: 193: 189: 185: 181: 177: 173: 168: 140: 138: 134: 130: 126: 123: 120: 116: 112: 108: 104: 100: 97: 94: 90: 86: 82: 77: 72: 69: 65: 62: 61:Tudor Revival 59: 55: 50: 46: 39: 34: 27: 22: 19: 881:. 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Reach plc 437:plasterwork 390:During the 377:monasteries 221:Floor count 162: / 137:Coordinates 113:Earl Street 899:Categories 484:References 358:St Michael 260:/directory 198:1920-06-11 147:52°24′26″N 84:Designated 78:– Grade II 667:1 October 640:1 October 618:1 October 538:1 October 533:Culture24 513:1 October 366:timepiece 254:.coventry 183:Completed 150:1°30′28″W 883:18 April 857:18 April 831:18 April 693:18 April 592:18 April 293:and the 283:Coventry 268:_council 122:Coventry 806:27 July 784:27 July 762:5 April 737:27 July 715:5 April 560:27 July 410:Gallery 385:Justice 373:Leofric 350:Runcorn 305:History 262:_record 245:Website 196: ( 128:Country 110:Address 96:1342927 381:Godiva 323:caveat 270:_house 191:Opened 206:Owner 885:2023 859:2023 833:2023 808:2020 786:2020 764:2020 739:2020 717:2020 695:2023 669:2012 642:2012 620:2012 594:2023 562:2020 540:2012 515:2012 454:The 439:and 266:/the 256:.gov 186:1917 178:1913 281:in 264:/66 258:.uk 252:www 901:: 875:. 849:. 824:. 747:^ 685:. 610:. 585:. 570:^ 531:. 504:. 500:. 301:. 887:. 861:. 835:. 810:. 788:. 766:. 741:. 719:. 697:. 671:. 644:. 622:. 596:. 564:. 542:. 517:. 466:. 224:4 200:)

Index


Tudor Revival
Listed Building
1342927
Coventry
Coordinates
52°24′26″N 1°30′28″W / 52.4072°N 1.5079°W / 52.4072; -1.5079
Coventry City Council
Henry Walter Simister
www.coventry.gov.uk/directory_record/66/the_council_house
Coventry
Tudor Revival
Coventry City Council
seat of local government
Grade II-listed building
St Mary's Guildhall
Henry Walter Simister
Elizabethan style
First World War
Duke of York
Forest of Arden
Runcorn
Cotswold stone
St Michael
J. Smith & Sons
timepiece
Leofric
monasteries
Godiva
Justice

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