The Cartwright Memorial Hall (Art Gallery And Museum) In Lister Park

The Cartwright Memorial Hall, which serves as an art gallery and museum, is located in Lister Park and was built between 1900 and 1903 based on a design that won a competition by architects J W Simpson and M Allen. This grand neo-Baroque building features high-quality ashlar masonry and has a symmetrical layout with pilastered wings. The central two-storey section includes a large semi-circular arched port cochère, which is topped by a Venetian aedicule balcony and an open pediment. The pediment is supported by coupled, enriched, Roman Ionic engaged columns, and above it is a stepped attic that holds an elaborately detailed cupola with statues at the corners of its base. Inside, the hall is designed in a grand Baroque style, featuring an imperial staircase leading to the upper floor, a glazed barrel vaulted columned landing, and top light galleries. The design of Cartwright Hall shows some resemblance to the Palais de Justice in Brussels.