Northumberland Road, City Hall

HER Number:
6265

District:
Newcastle

Site Name:
Northumberland Road, City Hall

Place:
Newcastle

Map Sheet:
NZ26SE

Class:
Recreational

Site Type: Broad:
Music Speech and Dance Venue

Site Type: Specific:
Concert Hall

General Period:
20TH CENTURY

Specific Period:
Early 20th Century 1901 to 1932

Form of Evidence:
Extant Building

Description:
The City Hall and Baths (HER 6248) were built in 1928 by C. Nicholas and J.E. Dixon Spain. Neo-Georgian design with a colonnaded entrance. City Hall and Public baths. 1928. Designed by Nicholas and Dixon-Spain.Steel framed, brown brick with ashlar and red brick dressings, and slate hipped roofs. Ashlar plinth. Northumberland Road, front two storeys and 25 windows. Central entrance block, 7 windows with slightly projecting 3 window centre topped by a large pediment with circular window. 3 round headed arches with panel pilasters, rusticated ashlar and above a deeply moulded band. Above 3 glazing bar sashes the central one with a moulded ashlar surround and brackets supporting a flat hood. Set-back on eitherside, a rusticated ashlar and above a deeply moulded band. Above 3 glazing bar sashes the central one with a moulded ashlar surround and brackets supporting a flat hood. Set-back eitherside, a rusticated ground floor with small barred basement windows and above single glazing bar sashes. Upper floor has single glazing bar sashes. Outer bays, set back again, also have glazing bar to each floor. 9 window side wings are similar, each has tall ashlar Doric portico with central columns between flanking antae, which project slightly in front of further antae topped by a heavy entablature and parapet. Set back on eitherside are blank walls, with further blank walls beyond. Above 5 square windows with moulded surrounds, set back on eitherside are single small square windows, and further single windows beyond all topped by a coped parapet. College Street front, 2 storey, 11 window front. Central, slightly projecting, 9 windows articulated with giant Doric pilasters, with ashlar bases and red brick dressings. Bays 4 and 6 have doorways with double panel doors and bolection mould surrounds, the remaining ground floor openings are square with plain stone surrounds. Above the doorways are tall panels with red brick surrounds. Above a thick ashlar band and 9 windows with moulded ashlar surrounds and bracketed cills, the central 7 openings have glazing bar cross casements and the outer ones are blind. Above a dentilated entablature with brick frieze and panel parapet above. Set back at eitherside a single bay, with double panel doors and bolection mould surrounds, above a single glazing bar sash to each floor with red brick surrounds and above a plain entablature. John Dobson Street front is similar with giant Doric pilasters supporting an entablature and panel parapet, with 3 large round headed doorways with moulded ashlar surrounds and large keystones, at the centre and over bays. Between 3 square windows on eitherside with plain ashlar surrounds, and above 9 square windows with moulded ashlar surrounds. At rear a tall tapering octagonal brick chimney stack with ashlar moulded cap. INTERIORS. City Hall has marble lined foyer with 3 round arches at either end, with mahogany and gilt fans, and between 2 urn shaped lamps. The north wall has 3 similar arches with double panel doors, and the south wall has 3 similar arches with double panel doors, and the south wall has 5 similar entrance arches with double glazed doors and fanlights. Deeply coffered plaster ceiling: Eitherside are staircases with metal balustrades with wave mould decoration. Hall is rectangular with narrower raised stage to north, and a large gallery with extended curved sides to the south. Gallery front decorated with rosettes, panels and wave moulds. Deeply coved ceiling above dentilated cornice, with elaborate coffered centre. Behind the stage a later organ in an eighteenth century style case. Public Baths have rectangular foyer with round headed plaster openings and deeply moulded coving, and groin vaulted corridors. Mens bath has large rectangular tiled pool, and cantilevered viewing gallery around 3 slides with curved metal railings with Greek-key pattern, stepped wooden decking and wooden rails. Coffered plaster ceiling with central segmentally curved central section with sunken overlights. Womens bath similar, though smaller, without the gallery, and with a simpler ceiling with curved centre and overlights. Turkish bath has ashlar Doric pilasters and dado, mahogany panelled changing rooms and doors, circular glazed dome and coffered ceiling plus inlaid floor. Steam room has groin vaulted ceiling with 3 circular domes, and marble slabs. LISTED GRADE 2

Easting:
425040

Northing:
564810

Grid Reference:
NZ425040564810

Lats/Lons:

Sources:
Department of National Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest; 2nd edition Ordnance Survey map 1890; N. Pevsner and I. Richmond, second edition revised by G. McCombie, P. Ryder and H. Welfare, 1992, The Buildings of England: Northumberland, p 447; Grace McCombie, 2009, Newcastle and Gateshead - Pevsner Architectural Guide, p. 34 and 193; North of England Civic Trust, 2010, Conservation Plan: Former St Thomas' School and the Northumberland Baths, Newcastle upon Tyne