Hull City Hall

History

The hall, which was designed by Hull's City architect Joseph Hirst in the Baroque Revival style, was built between 1903 and 1909. An organ, which was built by the local firm of Forster and Andrews, was installed in time for an opening concert by the composer Edwin Lemare on 30 March 1911.

An art gallery was also installed in the building but this was removed to form the Ferens Art Gallery in Queen Victoria Square in 1927. The space created by the removal of the art gallery was instead used to accommodate an archaeological collection amassed by John Robert Mortimer known as the Mortimer Collection and the area re-opened as the Mortimer Museum in 1931.

The hall was damaged in bombing in May 1941 during the Hull Blitz of the Second World War and the organ was badly damaged.

The building was restored and the organ comprehensively restored in 1951 following the war damage. The hall hosted a performance by the rock band the Who in February 1970, Siouxsie and the Banshees in October 1979, the Damned in December 1979, Slade in December 1981, and the first show of Iron Maiden's 1983 world tour in May 1983.

City Hall was altered in 1986 and again in 1989.

Services

City Hall is home to a grand central hall which plays host to a varied programme of concerts including pop, rock and classical music as well as civic functions such as graduation ceremonies for the University of Hull. The city's main tourist Information office and shop is based on the building's ground floor. The main hall has a floor, balcony and gallery with total capacity for 1,200 people seated, or up to 1,800 with a mixture of standing on the main floor and seated on the balcony and gallery.

In February 2021 it was announced that the building would be used as a mass vaccination centre for COVID-19 for the city and the East Riding of Yorkshire.

References

References

1. {{NHLE
2. Allison, K. J.. (1969). "'Civic institutions', in A History of the County of York East Riding: Volume 1, the City of Kingston Upon Hull". British History Online.
3. "Hull City Hall – Home of the 1911 Forster & Andrews Organ". Viscount Organs.
4. "Records of Forster and Andrews, organ builders". Hull History Centre.
5. "The air raids on Hull on the nights of 7/8 May and 8/9 May 1941". North East Diary.
6. (2 June 2011). "Hull concert hall organ celebrates centenary". BBC.
7. (2009). "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere: The Complete Chronicle of the WHO 1958–1978". Sterling Publishing Company.
8. "Join HandsTour". The Banshees and other creatures.
9. "The Damned, Hull City Hall". 45 Worlds.
10. "Galleries". Dave Kemp and Slade.
11. "World Piece Tour 1983". ironmaiden.com.
12. "''Hull City Hall'' profile and discography". Discogs.
13. "Hull City Hall – Technical Specification".
14. (6 February 2021). "Covid: Hull City Hall to become mass vaccine centre". BBC News.