The former County Hall in Westminster across the Thames from the Houses of Parliament Former County Hall The move is planned to be completed by the end of 2021. However it has been decided to move to new premises at a new building called The Crystal located on Victoria Dock in east London. It is the home of the Mayor of London's office, and of the London Assembly, two parts of the Greater London Authority. The interior of City Hall and its helical walkway will be familiar to many as it was the location for several scenes in the 2015 James Bond blockbuster 'Spectre' where it was used to portray the interior of the fictional Centre for National Security, and where, near the end of the movie, one of the baddies, played by Andrew Scott falls to his death.Ĭity Hall is not technically a city hall. The Gherkin, also in London, was designed by him, and almost adjacent to City Hall is another of his buildings commonly known as the Batman Building. Foster and his firm are very prolific and have designed many major structures both in the UK and abroad. Situated on the south bank of the River Thames, it is directly across the river from the Tower of London and near the southern end of Tower Bridge.Ĭity Hall was designed by Norman Foster and opened in 2002. London City Hall is a strikingly unique building. These classic, historic buildings are finding new uses as concert, conference, and wedding venues and even film sets! City Hall London, close to Tower Bridge, is home to the Lord Mayor's Office and London Assembly London City Hall

Nowadays some town councils are moving out of their older, Victorian buildings to newer premises. Some are more modern such as London City Hall in London. Built as secular cathedrals, the great architects of the time designed both churches and their secular counterparts - town halls.īritain has many fine town halls with some of the oldest dating back to the late 18th century.

The golden age of town hall construction was in the Victorian and Edwardian periods. Town halls symbolize the power and authority of the local government and were built in architectural styles popular at the time of their construction. Local authorities also often built grand libraries to accompany their town halls and these are often located close by. The buildings houses the city or town council, and often the offices of the mayor. Town Halls and City Halls are the seat of local government administration in Britain's towns and cities. Town Halls, City Halls & County Halls in the UKĭesigned by Norman Foster, London City Hall opened in 2002

Manchester town hall conference hall