Govan Town Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Govan Town Hall |
|
|---|---|
Govan Town Hall
|
|
| Location | Govan |
| Built | 1901 |
| Architect | Thomson and Sandilands |
| Architectural style(s) | Beaux-Arts style |
|
Listed Building – Category B
|
|
| Designated | 15 December 1970 |
| Reference no. | LB33340 |
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
Govan Town Hall is an old public building in Govan, Scotland. It's on Govan Road. This building used to be the main office for the local government of Govan. It is now a special building called a Category B listed building, which means it's protected because of its history and design.
Contents
History of Govan Town Hall
.jpg)
Why a New Town Hall Was Needed
Before this building, Govan's local government worked from smaller offices. These old offices were in Orkney Street and were built in 1866. But Govan grew very fast with new factories and more people. The old offices became too small and weren't good enough anymore. So, the local leaders decided to build a brand new, bigger town hall. They chose an open piece of land at the corner of Summertown Road and Govan Road.
Building the Town Hall
The first stone for the new town hall was put in place in September 1898. The building was designed by architects Thomson & Sandilands. They used a grand and classical style called Beaux-Arts style. The building cost about £60,000 to build. The mayor of Govan at the time, James Kirkwood, officially opened it in October 1901.
Design and Features
The town hall has a balanced look, meaning it's the same on both sides. It has thirteen sections along Govan Road. The parts at each end stick out a little. In the middle, there's an arched doorway on the ground floor. Above that, on the first floor, are three windows with a fancy porch. This porch has four columns with scroll-like tops. Above the porch is a large triangular part with a carved picture inside.
On the roof, there's a big dome. On top of the dome is a smaller, round structure with columns. There were also several carved faces on the outside walls, made by Archibald Macfarlane Shannan. Inside, the main rooms included a council chamber where local leaders met. There was also a large public hall with a big organ and a smaller "upper hall." The grand organ was made by Norman and Beard.
Changes Over Time
The town hall was the main office for Govan's local government until 1912. That year, Glasgow took over Govan, even after many people protested. After this, the building was used by Glasgow's social services department.
In 1973, the building was renovated. During this work, some of the beautiful decorations inside the two halls were removed. This included a magnificent arch in the public hall, which had also been designed by Shannon.
Govan Town Hall as Film City Glasgow
In the early 2000s, a film producer named Gillian Berrie got permission to use the building. She raised £3.5 million to turn it into a place for making movies. This new facility is called Film City Glasgow. The work involved fixing up the upper hall and adding a special movie theater. The front part of the building was also updated for businesses that work in creative media.
See also
