Portsmouth Guildhall is a multi-use building in the centre of Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. It is located in a pedestrian square close to Portsmouth and Southsea railway station.

Venue: Portsmouth Guildhall
Town: Portsmouth, GB

Portsmouth Guildhall is a multi-use building in the centre of Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. It is located in a pedestrian square close to Portsmouth and Southsea railway station. Constructed in 1890, the building was known as Portsmouth Town Hall until 1926. It was heavily damaged by bombing during the Second World War and largely rebuilt during the 1950s by the English architect Ernest Berry Webber. It now operates as a concert, wedding and conference venue. It is a Grade II listed building. The current building was commissioned to replace an earlier town hall located in the High Street. The site selected for the new building had been occupied by the home of the Commanding Officer of Artillery. The foundation stone was laid by the mayor, Alfred Starling Blake, on 14 October 1886. The building, which was designed by William Hill in the Neo-classical style, was officially opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales on 9 August 1890. The external design involved a main frontage with 17 bays separated by Corinthian order columns and a large portico with a pediment above. The pediment was designed by the sculptor, Henry Thomas Margetson, and was intended to depict "Britannia receiving the trades of the world". Above the crown of the pediment a statue of Neptune sitting a chariot pulled by three seahorses was installed. At roof level a three-tier bell tower with clocks on each face was erected. Internally, the principal rooms were the main concert hall, the council chamber and a room now known as the "star chamber": the latter room now displays a huge mural known as "Heaven's Light Our Guide" which depicts local scenes. The design is a slightly more elaborate version of his 1873-completed commission for Bolton Town Hall. After Portsmouth was raised to the status of a city on 21 April 1926, the building which had previously been referred to as the "Town Hall" was renamed the "Guildhall". On 10 January 1941, during the Second World War, it was hit by enemy incendiary bomb