Newport Civic Centre
Encyclopedia
Newport Civic Centre is the seat of government for the city of Newport
, South Wales
and is a Grade II* Listed building in the Art Deco
style. Newport City Council
has its main offices located in the building which also includes Magistrate
s' Courts and a Crown Court
complex. The Mayor
's office is located in the Civic Centre.
, who was also the architect for Baskerville House
in Birmingham
and the Council House
in his native Nottingham
. The ceremonial first sod was cut on July 14, 1937 by King George VI
, with the building finally open to the public in 1940. However, due to the war
, work on the clock tower was suspended until 1963. On September 10 of that year the Corporation voted to complete the building of the clock tower at a cost of £126,900. This was despite a poll of 8,734 signatures in which the public voted 40-to-1 against. Conservative
Alderman
Dolman said that he could use the £126,900 cost to buy gold watches for everyone living within sight of the clock.
The base of the completed clock tower contains a collection of 12 murals by the German artist Hans Feibusch
. The murals were commissioned in the 1960s and completed in 1964. They depict the history of the City from Celtic times to the building of the George Street Bridge over the River Usk
. In recent years, conservation work has been necessary with specialist photographers recording the works prior to detailed restoration work being undertaken.
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
, South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
and is a Grade II* Listed building in the Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style. Newport City Council
Newport City Council
Newport City Council is the governing body for the city of Newport, one of the subdivisions of Wales within the United Kingdom. It consists of 50 councillors, representing the city's 20 wards. Since the 2008 election, the council has been controlled jointly by the Conservatives and Liberal...
has its main offices located in the building which also includes Magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
s' Courts and a Crown Court
Crown Court
The Crown Court of England and Wales is, together with the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal, one of the constituent parts of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
complex. The Mayor
Mayor of Newport
The Mayor of Newport is the civic figurehead and first citizen of the city of Newport in the United Kingdom. The position is now largely ceremonial, but it still has high-profile rôle in maintaining and promoting the interests of the city and its people...
's office is located in the Civic Centre.
History
The building was designed by architect Thomas Cecil HowittThomas Cecil Howitt
Thomas Cecil Howitt, OBE an eminent British provincial architect of the 20th Century, was born on 6 June 1889, at Hucknall, near Nottingham....
, who was also the architect for Baskerville House
Baskerville House
Baskerville House, previously called the Civic Centre, is a former civic building in Centenary Square, Birmingham, England.-History:The site was originally occupied by the home of John Baskerville. He was buried nearby in the area which was known as Easy Hill...
in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and the Council House
Nottingham Council House
Nottingham Council House is the city hall of Nottingham, England. The iconic high dome that rises above the city is the centrepiece of the skyline and presides magnificently over the Old Market Square....
in his native Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
. The ceremonial first sod was cut on July 14, 1937 by King George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
, with the building finally open to the public in 1940. However, due to the war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, work on the clock tower was suspended until 1963. On September 10 of that year the Corporation voted to complete the building of the clock tower at a cost of £126,900. This was despite a poll of 8,734 signatures in which the public voted 40-to-1 against. Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
Dolman said that he could use the £126,900 cost to buy gold watches for everyone living within sight of the clock.
The base of the completed clock tower contains a collection of 12 murals by the German artist Hans Feibusch
Hans Feibusch
Hans Feibusch was a German painter and sculptor who lived and worked in Britain for much of his career, having escaped the Third Reich....
. The murals were commissioned in the 1960s and completed in 1964. They depict the history of the City from Celtic times to the building of the George Street Bridge over the River Usk
River Usk
The River Usk rises on the northern slopes of the Black Mountain of mid-Wales, in the easternmost part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Initially it flows north into Usk Reservoir, then east by Sennybridge to Brecon before turning southeast to flow by Talybont-on-Usk, Crickhowell and...
. In recent years, conservation work has been necessary with specialist photographers recording the works prior to detailed restoration work being undertaken.