Shared Press

11/02/2019

P L Y M O U T H [3/3] “I can’t blame the council for selling the centre, although at a quid – cheaper than a Big Mac – it seems a bizarre asking price for a listed building. But I understand the argument that the centre would otherwise be an expensive sinkhole. I’m in two minds about the future home of the council. The inside of the Council House seems befitting, but I’d like it to be a sign of progress both for the council and the city. It needs to reflect what’s important about Plymouth as the UK’s ‘Ocean City,’ our image and our hopes for the future. We need an inviting building that really shows it’s at the heart of the community.” • Jack Reeves is a student in Plymouth is full of stories of our country’s Town Halls and civic buildings. It is available to buy via the link in the bio 📚 — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2TDB4PC

07/02/2019

P L Y M O U T H [2/3] “Once inside the still used democratic part of the Council House, a smaller section attached to the civic centre, I found the building charming. As a young outsider, I didn’t know what it meant to be ‘Plymouth,’ but the inside of the Council House perfectly encapsulates it. The foyer was designed to mimic the p**p deck of the Mayflower, with a large staircase leading up to the city gold, all underneath the city crest. There was some new technology, but what stood out was the original sixties furniture, fabric and four large books of photographs of all the lord mayors; a real sense of history and continuity.” • Jack Reeves is a student in Plymouth is full of stories of our country’s Town Halls and civic buildings. It is available to buy via the link in the bio 📚 — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2SiHy9Y

06/02/2019

P L Y M O U T H [1/3] “Plymouth Civic Centre was opened by the Queen. But just half a century or so later it had been left in a dilapidated state, abandoned by the council in 2015, then sold to developers for £1 the following year. There had been repeated calls for change. The people and the council both wanted to see it demolished rather than spend money on it. Many plans for demolition fell through. The Plymouth Herald voiced the ‘fury of many Plymothians and the despair of the council’ when the centre was given a Grade II listing in 2007.” • Jack Reeves is a student in Plymouth is full of stories of our country’s Town Halls and civic buildings. It is available to buy via the link in the bio 📚 — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2HY0GVR

04/02/2019

03/02/2019

S T O C K P O R T [2/3] “Stockport is not generally known for its fine architecture; in fact, one of its most recent developments attracted the Carbuncle Award, which is not something to be proud of. But we can be proud of our magnificent town hall.” • Sue Hawkins is a child and educational psychologist. is full of stories of our country’s Town Halls and civic buildings. It is available to buy via the link in the bio 📚 — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2RApHpR

31/01/2019

S T O C K P O R T [1/3] “Exploring the old town hall in my Wow glasses, I felt a sense of connection to the past, to all the thousands of other people who had been public servants in this building.” • Sue Hawkins is a child and educational psychologist. is full of stories of our country’s Town Halls and civic buildings. It is available to buy via the link in the bio 📚 — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2MHLPgV

28/01/2019

B E T H N A L G R E E N [3/3] “It’s hard not to love the hotel, to marvel at the beautiful building bought back to life. For the municipally-minded though, it’s also hard to see it without recognising the context. A sign of what’s to come. It’s a building that says - we know the price of everything and the value of nothing.” • Dawn Reeves is a writer, story activist and consultant to local government. is full of stories of our country’s Town Halls and civic buildings. It is available to buy via the link in the bio 📚 — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2RTtjbv

22/01/2019

B E T H N A L G R E E N [1/3] “The elegant staircase and green marble columns lead up to a stained-glass dome that wouldn’t look out of place in the Galleries Lafayette. The owners have spent a bob or two on the old place, evidenced by framed photos of the former dilapidation.” • Dawn Reeves is a writer, story activist and consultant to local government. is full of stories of our country’s Town Halls and civic buildings. It is available to buy via the link in the bio 📚 — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2RMYfKw

21/01/2019

B E T H N A L G R E E N [1/3] “A luxury cream carpet hushes the Council Chamber. The important words spoken here are more likely to be marriage vows than a debate on the housing crisis. Five beautifully restored deco chandeliers bathe the wood panelled room in a rich brass tinged light. There’s style without content. As a condition of the sale of the building to a Malaysian hotel chain the council retains the right to use the chamber three times a year, but rarely does.” Dawn Reeves is a writer, story activist and consultant to local government. is full of stories of our country’s Town Halls and civic buildings. It is available to buy via the link in the bio 📚 — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2QYX8SB

10/01/2019

C O V E NT R Y [3/3] “As a Coventry kid, an ex-employee of 32 years’ service, and someone with a strong interest in local history, my emotional reaction is that this was the right course of action – that losing the Council House to, say, a boutique hotel would have been a real mistake. But this view was shaken by an unexpected experience. Coventry still gives long service awards to staff and hosts periodic presentation lunches in St Mary’s Hall. I always tried to attend these events and talk to the staff and their guests. The sad truth is that the overwhelmingly majority had never been in St Mary’s Hall and didn’t even know it existed. Most had not been in the Council House. I would often give impromptu tours and see the amazement on colleagues’ faces as they saw the council chamber, the medieval guildhall and a room where Mary Queen of Scots was held prisoner for the first time. And these are people who all work for the city. So, is the view of the Council House as symbol of civic pride largely a myth, passionately held by a small majority? Is the value of the Council House just as a listed building, or does it have life?” Chris West is a former council finance director, now an independent consultant. is full of stories of our country’s Town Halls and civic buildings. It is available to buy via the link in the bio 📚 — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2D2yLiU

07/01/2019

C O V E NT R Y [2/3] “The council has recently relocated many of its staff to a new purpose-built building, cheaper to operate and a catalyst for major office and commercial development around Coventry station. There is a business and commercial case underpinning the move. Most of the staff I talk to like the new building – it’s clean, comfortable, modern and IT enabled. But the democratic operations have stayed put in the old building that, devoid of operational staff, remains a costly symbol of local power and civic pride.” Chris West is a former council finance director, now an independent consultant. is full of stories of our country’s Town Halls and civic buildings. It is available to buy via the link in the bio 📚 — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2FcQvKV

04/01/2019

C O V E NT R Y [1/3] “Coventry Council House is an imposing early 20th Century sandstone building, standing in a square recently renovated by the council, shouting its status as the civic heart of the city. The building is actually built onto the front of St Mary’s Guildhall, a now little known 14th Century gem, home to the city’s ruling elite when Coventry was one of the foremost cities in the country.” Chris West is a former council finance director, now an independent consultant. is full of stories of our country’s Town Halls and civic buildings. It is available to buy via the link in the bio 📚 — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2GV0ypM