Prior to 1900, the Town Council government affairs were held in the “Old Town House”, but the growing city required more space, so the Council authorized the construction of a new Town Hall. Mayor of Cape Town, Thomas Ball, laid the cornerstone for the new town hall on August 29, 1900, which would be located near the parade grounds, just west of the Castle, near the waterfront.
Architects Henry Austin Reid and Frederick George Green won the privilege to design the building and contractors T. Howard and F. G. Scott completed the construction in 1905.
The design and placement of the building reflects the political atmosphere of the early 1900s; the South African War was still in progress and there was a heavy military presence in Cape Town. Queen Victoria had just passed away and the ruling residence of Cape Town were in mourning. One of the last functions held at the government offices at the Old Town House was the reception of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York (later King George V and Queen Mary). This political climate influenced the design and scope of the New City Hall; it was built in grand imperial scale in Italian Renaissance/Edwardian style of golden limestone imported from Bath in England, and specifically situated facing the sea, with its “back” to the city, indicating a rejection of the Dutch town behind it.
Details: The impressive building features a high turret, with a clock that was modeled after Big Ben, (it is exactly half the size). The dials on the clock are 10 foot 6 inches in diameter. The clock was originally built with thirty-seven bells and it was first rung on the 30th April 1925 during the visit of Prince of Wales to Cape Town. Each bell has an inscription; some are inscribed with the donor of the bell, such as one that has the names of municipal government employees who died in active service, and others are inscribed with the name of a brigade, regiment or group of men who fell during the Great War. In 1954, two additional bells (treble C and C sharp) were added, for a total of 39 bells. The interior of the Old City Hall includes lovely old stained glass, a marble staircase and gorgeous mosaic floors.
Continuing in the imperial style, the Old City Hall included a Grand Hall, with an enormous auditorium which houses a magnificent classic pipe organ that was specifically designed for the hall by Sir George Martin, organist of St. Paul’s Cathedral London. The organ has over three thousand pipes. One special guest to the Grand Hall was young Princess Elizabeth who attended a grand ball here in 1947 as part of the British Royal tour of South Africa. Today, the governmental offices have been relocated to Cape Town Civic Center and most of the the Old City Hall has been left empty, except for the Grand Hall, which is used regularly for concerts and events. The Cape Town Philharmonic and Symphony Orchestras perform on the stage here on a regular basis.
Many will remember the Old City Hall as the location where Nelson Mandela made a speech from the balcony on February 11, 1990 following 27 years of imprisonment, with several thousand joyful citizens gathered in the Grand Parade Square below.
But every high-born personal appearance ever made at the Cape Town City Hall was totally eclipsed on 11 February 1990, when a newly-released Nelson Mandela stood on the balcony and addressed the approximately 250,000 jubilant people gathered below on the Grand Parade square, with his famous words: “Today the majority of South Africa, black and white, recognize that apartheid has no future. Our march to freedom is irreversible.”
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