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Brangwyn Hall, Swansea - Home of the Empire Panels |
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The Guildhall
In 1907, the County Borough Council of Swansea had decided that there was a need for a larger town hall and civic complex, and began to design a scheme to provide facilities, including a public assembly hall. In 1930, the scheme went out to competition and attracted 77 submissions, from which Mr Percy Thomas of Cardiff was chosen.
The Guildhall was built in Victoria Park a little way from the city centre of Swansea. The great clock tower rises 50 metres (160 feet) above the entrance and provides a focal point in the townscape. The tower has huge galley prows (a reference to the legend of Swansea's Viking origins), which project outwards as balconies at the upper stages of the tower.
The outside of the Guildhall is clad in Portland Stone, which contrasts with the materials used in the surrounding buildings. The entire building was planned around a courtyard, Brangwyn Hall being in the Public Assembly block on the southern side.
The foundation stone was laid in 1932 - the building's construction taking place in a decade of harsh recession and high local unemployment. It was a concern of the Council that the majority of building costs should be spent on manpower, which helped to alleviate local hardship and make use of the unemployment relief schemes, rather than materials.
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