Guildhall - Trust Annual Report 1970
In one of those perceptive remarks by Lord Clark, we find an Illuminating truth which is worth applying to our own city.
In the series on Civilisation he said "If I had to say which was telling the truth about society, a speech by a Minister of Housing or the actual buildings put up in his time, I should believe the buildings."
The Guildhall is a monument in a style until recently derided as pompus, artificial, pretentious and over decorated, with its fanciful windows turrets and clock tower. But when these knowing and derisive cries were raised what of the buildings produced by this critical generation in recent times ? What marks of distinction have they? Has not the contribution of this omniscent generation been almost universally deadening to the environment—dull meaningless cubes of glass and concrete. Are not our surroundings infinitely worse than they were one hundred years ago? What a paradox that our planning and building should be at such a trivial level compared with the achievements of the past, while on the other hand knowledge and technology increase at a fantastic rate.
The Guildhall
The high Victorian Gothic of the Guildhall stylistically responds to the Cathedral and assumes a self righteous look. Every visible part has earnest rectitude. There is no doubt that Sergeant Budden, the Mayor mainly responsible for the Guildhall, was an earnest man. So too, were the architects who designed It as the result of a competition. It is evident that they had supreme confidence in what they were about and all this is plainly to be seen in every stone.
So much for the 19th century—but it is instructive to walk round to the back and see what the 20th century can do. In an architectural sense the new Council Offices have not been designed at all, but are just an assembly of mass produced components. What does this new building tell us about ourselves ? It says that we can build quickly but expensively and that the attitude of the corporation towards the citizens has completely changed. Now there are no ostentatious accoutrements to isolate them from us, as displayed in the old Guildhall, but there is an attempt to make the new offices merge imperceptibly with the surroundings by the careful choice of bricks and tiles. It also says that we are not prepared to commit our talent and resources in a way which used to be thought desirable. When there are so few private patrons of architecture, this seems a pity and does not make the present contribution to the city as impressive as it ought to be.
It indicates that the citizens should be more involved in local government, so that a new building may be able to mirror more accurately our needs and aspirations, both cultural and social with an imaginative solution to transform the mundane into good urban architecture.
A few years ago there was considerable feeling that the Guildhall had come to the end of its useful life and a fire in the neighbouring building nearly brought it to an untimely end.
It seems now that the Guildhall should be regarded as one of Winchester's most useful assets, something which reminds one of the continuity and meaning of life. This is one of our own monuments which needs to be rediscovered, publicised, and above all, allowed to survive. There is no doubt that as time passes it will be regarded as more and more valuable.
It is hoped that the Guildhall's next door neighbour, the Old Reading Room and Art School, will also have a future and will be restored. News that the ground floor is for the present to be used as a picture gallery is excellent. Compared with so much present day commercial development, these buildings become masterpieces.
As an addition to the previous paragraphs we thought it would be of interest to reproduce some of the account of the opening of the Guildhall from the Hampshire Chronicle of Saturday, May 17th., 1873.
Opening of the new Guildhall
"Elsewhere we give a full report with sundry other information of the gratifying proceedings which took place in the city on Wednesday last at the opening of the new building in which the business of the city is to be conducted. Accommodation for a numerous company was provided at the entrance to the building and at its sides, seats being arranged for those who had been specially invited by the authorities. We have not attempted to give the names of the principal ladies and gentlemen present as we know how imperfect such a list must be, but we content ourselves here with stating that the company comprised the representatives of the chief families in the city and not a few from more distant parts, amongst whom was the Bishop of Salisbury, who was not however, present at the banquet in the evening. In consequence of Lord Selborne having to attend a Cabinet Council at half past two o' clock, it was found necessary to commence the business at an earlier hour than intended and this of course, was a source of great disappointment to those who came to Winchester for the purpose of being present at the opening. Some of the other arrangements were necessarily thrown out of gear and caused the much regretted absence of Lord Selborne both at the luncheon at the College and at the dinner in St. John's Rooms. The dinner was a remarkable success, and the ball passed off with great eclat but the sports on the arbour were seriously interfered with by the presence of some rough fellows who pelted the police with stones and turf, and likewise assaulted the committee who had taken and were still taking so much trouble in the interests of the citizens.
We need only add that the whole proceedings must be regarded as a great triumph well worthy of remembrance by all who take an interest in the progress of our ancient city."
From other items in the paper we learn that the weather was fine "one unclouded blaze of living light and the streets were blooming with flags".
A special train from Waterloo had set out at 10.00 a.m. and returned at 10.20 p.m. to bring visitors to Winchester for the occasion and stopping at Basingstoke and Micheldever.
The banquet at 6.0 p.m. the writer tells us was a remarkable success and well it might have been. One hundred and seventy guests paid 20 shillings per head with the Mayor, F Morshead Esq. presiding. The menu of seven courses gave a choice of two soups, four varieties of fish, four entrees and four removes three roasts of poultry and nine sweets, ices and dessert.
The only regret was that the Lord High Chancellor of England, Lord Selbourne, could not be present. There were of course speeches and toasts to the City, the Cathedral, the Armed Forces and the Houses of Parliament.
The Bishop referred to the new Guildhall as "a great municipal triumph" and in his speech at the opening Lord Selborne had said how honoured he was "to be chosen to take part in the inauguration and dedication to public use of so beautiful and magnificent a work as this building." The Hampshire Chronicle issued a special supplement to do justice to the proceedings.
From the other news items of the period we learn that the Tichbourne case was still proceeding with the trial of the claimant for perjury in its seventeenth day. One incident connected with the arrivals for the opening ceremony concerned the Mayor of Southampton, covered in gold braid who was at first mistaken for the Lord High Chancellor, while his "somewhat adipose charioteer was greeted as the claimant by the crowd."
Another news item recorded strikes of miners and carters in Manchester and a headline "Secrets of the Potted Meat Trade" is followed by the report of a court case with a fine for using bad meat.
Letters appeared in the correspondence columns about the Peasantry in the South of England from J. T. Twynan of Winchester and another on the prevention of drunkeness from Colonel Portal of Overton. A dividend of 4% was paid by the cemetery and the advertisements tell us that good claret could be obtained for 1/- a bottle.
By contrast the Hampshire Chronicle of July 4th., 1970 carries in two columns with photographs, an account of the opening of the new Council Offices, which cost £100,000 against the £20,000 of the Guildhall a century ago. There has been a rise of building costs of 5 times over 97 years for a much smaller building. We may be thankful that the cost of food is not in proportion, though it seems that the amount and variety provided at banquets then and now is in the same proportion as the size of the buildings to each other.
Finally a sentence from the 1873 Hampshire Chronicle about the old Guildhall, now Lloyds Bank and a listed building, "Any one who could assert in the present day that the old Guildhall was a thing of beauty, or ever could be, would we presume be a fit candidate for Bethlehem". (i.e. the lunatic asylum).