Civic Hall

The Civic Hall in Wolverhampton, built between 1936 and 1938 by architects Lyons and Israel, is a notable example of Modernistic Classical style. Constructed of brick in English bond, it features an ashlar facade, decorative dressings, and a faience plinth, topped with a parapeted roof. The building includes a full-height entrance hall at the front, flanked by corridors, with the Wulfrun Hall positioned at a right angle to the rear.

The entrance is marked by a hexastyle-in-antis portico in a simplified Ionic style, which is adorned with a wide modillioned cornice set in ashlar blocks, complemented by brick wings featuring deep friezes and cornices. The portico has seven entrances, each with tall windows above and original doors, while the flanking entrances have paired doors.

On the left side, the ground floor projects over the plinth, increasing in height towards the rear due to the slope of the ground. It has plain windows with ashlar surrounds, and the first-floor windows are enhanced with bowed iron balconies. A tall window on the right end has a niche above, while the left end features an entrance in a recess with a wheel window above and forms the end of the Wulfrun Hall, which has three tall narrow niches. The right side mirrors this design, with an entrance to the Wulfrun Hall at the right end, three tall windows above five entrances between brick piers, and a wide entrance to the left.

At the rear, there are five tall windows with ashlar surrounds, with the end windows being narrower. Inside, the entrance hall leads to the concert hall, which is framed by brick piers. The end features marble panels with an inscription on the right and an incised figure of Wulfrun on the left. The concert hall has simple detailing and a gallery on three sides, while the Wulfrun Hall has a bowed end flanked by panelling of bowed square panels painted with figures related to drama and dance, with entrances piercing through. The design of the Civic Hall was inspired by Tengbom's Stockholm Concert Hall, built between 1920 and 1926.