September 2026:

For our September meeting, a group of us had a guided tour of the Nottingham Council House.  Our guides were three honorary aldermen of the City – one had been Lord Mayor a few years ago.

Most people know the external view of the Council House, however, fewer have visited the interior.  Designed by T C Howitt in the late 1920s, it was opened by the Prince of Wales in 1929 – the key is on display in the foyer.  Since the Council offices relocated to Loxley House in 2010, the building is no longer used for regular administrative functions but is still used for ceremonial and other duties.  On the day of our visit there was a Coroner’s Court in operation and a Citizenship Ceremony.

Despite the architect having little experience of anything bigger than domestic dwellings, he produced a very impressive building.  Built on a steel framework, the exterior is stone clad.  The Portland quarry was reopened to provide front columns to match St Paul’s Cathedral.  The interior is a composed of marble cladding for stairs and corridors.  Many of the rooms are splendidly panelled in wood.

We were able to see a range of rooms including the Lord Mayor’s parlour and the Sherriff’s parlour.  There were also glass cabinets housing a range of silverware including the mayoral mace and sheriffs’ maces.  The walls are lined with charcoal scenes around Nottingham drawn by Thomas Hammond, a lace designer as well as an artist.

Andy Dixon