Birmingham City Council House is an imposing building that faces onto Victoria Square. The side of the building which faces Chamberlain Street is part of the Museum and Art Gallery. The land for the building was purchased in 1853 but it wasn’t until 1879 that the building was completed following a competition which Yeoville Thomason’s design won.
The Council House was extended almost straight away to incorporate the museum starting from 1881 and then again in 1911. Above the main entrance is a mosaic by Salviati Burke and above that Britannia receiving the manufacturers of Birmingham.
The clock and tower are apparently known locally as Big Brum and are part of the first extension to the Council House.
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