Sheffield City Hall

Sheffield City Hall stands in Barker’s Pool, the central square of Sheffield in South Yorkshire. The building is Grade II* listed and was designed by E. Vincent Harris in 1920. Construction began in 1929 after delays caused by the economic climate of the early 1920s. It opened in 1932, originally planned as a war memorial but later named City Hall. The building’s neo-classical style features a giant portico and a pair of stone Art Deco lions at the stage entrance. During the Second World War a bomb damaged the pillars, leaving visible scars. The City Hall has hosted many notable performers since its opening. In 1932 the violinist Yehudi Menuhin gave a concert there. The Hallé orchestra played regularly in the late 1940s and early 1950s under Sir John Barbirolli. Other performers included Nat King Cole in 1954, Louis Armstrong in 1959, The Beatles in 1963 and 1964, Elton John in 1971, Bon Jovi in 1986 and Kraftwerk in 1991. The organ in the Oval Hall is the largest in Sheffield, with over 4,037 pipes and 75 stops. Inside, the Oval Hall seats 2,271 people and the Grand Willis III Organ dominates the stage. The Memorial Hall seats 425 and the Ballroom seats 400. The foyer displays the returned Art Deco lions, removed in 1962 and reinstalled in 2017. The building’s surroundings include Barker’s Pool, a central city square. The scars of the wartime bomb remain visible on the pillars.