History

Nottingham Guildhall was built in 1887 to 1888 to replace the previous guildhall on Weekday Cross

Weekday Cross

Weekday Cross, in the Lacemarket area of Nottingham, was the main market area in Nottingham. As the location of the town hall, guildhall and main market, it was the centre of the town, before the market moved to the Old Market Square....

. Following a competition with Alfred Waterhouse

Alfred Waterhouse

Alfred Waterhouse was a British architect, particularly associated with the Victorian Gothic Revival architecture. He is perhaps best known for his design for the Natural History Museum in London, and Manchester Town Hall, although he also built a wide variety of other buildings throughout the...

 as the judge, the French Renaissance Revival

French Renaissance architecture

French Renaissance architecture is the style of architecture which was imported to France from Italy during the early 16th century and developed in the light of local architectural traditions....

 design by the architects Thomas Verity

Thomas Verity

Thomas Verity was an English theatre architect during the theatre building boom of 1885–1915.Verity began his career articled in the architecture department of the War Office, assisting in the erection of the South Kensington Museum...

 and George Henry Hunt was chosen. Garbutts of Liverpool were chosen as contractors much to the annoyance of local building companies..

The initial estimate for the building was £128,416 (£ as of ), and immediately the council asked Verity and Hunt to simplify the design. The building as erected contained the Police (magistrates') Court. the Central Police Station and the new Fire Station.

The building was erected for a cost of £65,000 (£ as of ),

In 1996, all magistrates were moved to the new Nottingham Magistrates' Court

Nottingham Magistrates' Court

Nottingham Magistrates' Court is a Magistrates' Court in Nottingham, England.-History:Until 1996, Nottingham Magistrates were housed in two separate buildings, the Guildhall and the Shire Hall....

 building.

Since 1996, the Guildhall has been occupied by Nottingham City Council

Nottingham City Council

Nottingham City Council is the non-metropolitan district council for the unitary authority of Nottingham in Nottinghamshire. It consists of 55 councillors, representing a total of 20 wards, elected every four years. It is led by Jon Collins, of the majority Labour Party. The deputy leader of the...

.

Caves

The 2 level cave system is reached by an open well stair. The brick lined passages and cells were extensively modified during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

for use as emergency headquarters and air raid shelters.