{{Short description|Municipal building in Dudley, West Midlands, England}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Use British English|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox historic site | name = Dudley Council House | native_name = | image = Dudley Council House (geograph 3242920).jpg | caption= Dudley Council House | locmapin =West Midlands | map_caption =Shown in West Midlands | coordinates ={{coord|52.5122|N|2.0842|W|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline,title}} | location =Priory Road, Dudley | area = | built =1935 | architect =Harvey and Wicks | architecture =Neo-Georgian style | designation1 =Grade II Listed Building | designation1_offname =Council House | designation1_date =23 April 2010 | designation1_number =1393758 | designation2 =Grade II* Listed Building | designation2_offname =The Town Hall, Coroner's Court, Former Sessions Court and Brooke Robinson Museum | designation2_date =24 May 2010 | designation2_number =1393884 | designation3 =Grade II Listed Building | designation3_offname =The Old Police Buildings to the North East of the Town Hall and Former Sessions Court | designation3_date =26 April 2010 | designation3_number =1343237 | website= }} '''Dudley Council House''' is a municipal building in Priory Road, Dudley, West Midlands, England. The Council House, which is the meeting place of Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council is a Grade II listed building.<ref name=listed1>{{NHLE|num=1393758|desc=Council House|access-date=6 February 2021}}</ref>
==History== The first town hall in Dudley was a medieval structure in the Market Place completed in 1653.<ref name=express>{{cite news|url=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/81/7b/7b/817b7bc93536eb74ea1525fe661bdddd.jpg|title=Dudley Town Hall|newspaper=Express and Star| access-date=6 February 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.edu.dudley.gov.uk/gisweb/gallery/history/Dudley_Town_Trail/Medieval.pdf |title=Dudley Town Trail|publisher= Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council|access-date=6 February 2021}}</ref> It was arcaded on the ground floor, so that markets could be held, with an assembly room on the first floor and a cupola with a clock at roof level.<ref name=express/> It was demolished in 1860 and replaced with a fountain in 1867.<ref name=express/> The second town hall was built in Priory Road in the 1860s, but after the town became a county borough in 1889 and following further industrial growth in the early 20th century,<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10026568 |title=Dudley MB/CB|work=Vision of Britain| access-date=6 February 2021}}</ref> civic leaders decided to procure a more substantial structure on the same site and the second town hall was demolished to make way for the current structure in 1924.<ref name=express/>
The first part of new complex was the assembly hall in St James's Road which became known as Dudley Town Hall. It was built with financial support from a legacy left by the former local member of parliament, Brooke Robinson, and his wife, Eugenia, and included several courtrooms, a museum and a memorial tower.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dudleyheritageopendays.org.uk/dudley-town-hall |title=Dudley Town Hall|publisher=Dudley Heritage Open Days|access-date=6 February 2021}}</ref> The memorial tower was intended to commemorate the lives of local service personnel who had died in the First World War.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/17458 |title=Dudley Clock Tower|publisher=Imperial War Museum| access-date=6 February 2021}}</ref> This part of the complex was designed by Harvey and Wicks in the Neo-Georgian style, built with red brick and stone dressings and was officially opened by the Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin, on 20 October 1928.<ref name=listed2>{{NHLE|desc= The Town Hall, Coroner's Court, Former Sessions Court and Brooke Robinson Museum|num=1393884| access-date=6 February 2021}}</ref> The design involved a near-symmetrical main frontage with five bays facing onto St James's Road; the central section of three bays, which slightly projected forward, featured three arches with wrought iron gates on the ground floor and a balcony and a stained glass mullion window with the town's coat of arms in the tympanum in the central bay on the first floor.<ref name=listed2/> There were also stained glass mullion windows in the other bays on the first floor.<ref name=listed2/> The design is thought by English Heritage to be based on the Doge's Palace in Venice.<ref name=listed2/>
The second part of the new complex was the council house in Priory Road. It was built with financial support from Earl of Dudley,<ref>{{cite book|title=Dudley's Little Book of Big History|year=2008|publisher=Dudley MBC}}</ref> who laid the foundation stone in June 1934.<ref name=listed1/> It was designed by the same architect in a similar style, built with similar materials and was officially opened by the Duke of Kent in December 1935.<ref name=listed1/> The design involved a near-symmetrical main frontage with 22 bays facing onto Priory Road; the central section of three bays, which slightly projected forward, featured three arches on the ground floor and a balcony and a stained glass mullion window with the town's coat of arms in the tympanum in the central bay on the first floor.<ref name=listed1/> There were also balconies and stained glass mullion windows in the other bays on the first floor.<ref name=listed1/>
The old police station in Priory Street, which had been designed by Harvey Eginton and completed in 1847, was vacated when the local police service moved to a new building on New Street in 1939, and subsequently converted into additional municipal offices.<ref>{{cite book|last=Clare|first=David|title=Images of England – Dudley|year=2009|publisher=The History Press|isbn=978-0-7524-3534-3|page=75}}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|desc= The Old Police Buildings to the North East of the Town Hall and Former Sessions Court|num=1343237| access-date=6 February 2021}}</ref> Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, visited the council house and had lunch with civic leaders on 23 April 1957.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/nostalgia/see-photos-royal-train-came-13692423 |title= See photos of when the Royal Train came to the Black Country|date=29 September 2017|newspaper=Birmingham Mail| access-date=6 February 2021}}</ref> The assembly hall became a popular concert venue: performers included the band, ''The Who'', in June 1965.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c5yUA_S5pGoC&pg=PA305 |title=Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere: The Complete Chronicle of the WHO 1958–1978|first1=Andrew |last1=Neill|first2= Matthew|last2= Kent |year= 2009 |page=305|publisher=Sterling Publishing Company|isbn=978-1402766916}}</ref>
The council house continued to serve as the headquarters of the local municipal borough council and remained the local seat of government when the enlarged Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council was formed in 1974.<ref>{{cite book|title=Local Government Act 1972. 1972 c.70|publisher=The Stationery Office Ltd|isbn=0-10-547072-4|year=1997}}</ref> The assembly hall was renamed Dudley Concert Hall in 2004 but, after it was found that the new name had not been widely adopted, councillors decided to revert to the name Dudley Town Hall in 2012.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://archive.org/stream/kidderminster-chronicle-2012-10-04/kidderminster-chronicle-2012-10-04_djvu.txt |title=Venue's old name is restored|newspaper=Kidderminster Chronicle|date=4 October 2012| access-date=6 February 2021}}</ref> An extensive programme of refurbishment works to the council house costing £4 million was approved by the council in February 2020.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/black-country/anger-over-4m-dudley-council-17763487 |title= Anger over £4m for Dudley council ‘palace’ while your council tax rises|date=18 February 2020|newspaper=Birmingham Mail| access-date=6 February 2021}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
Category:Government buildings completed in 1935 Category:City and town halls in the West Midlands (county) Category:Buildings and structures in Dudley Category:Grade II listed buildings in the West Midlands (county)