Touring the Tower of Power

Ffynone House School pupils visit Swansea's Iconic Guildhall

With its splendid tower looking out over Swansea Bay the Guildhall is a truly iconic landmark in Swansea. This year sees the 75^th anniversary of its opening and, to mark the occasion, members of the public were invited to tour the building.

Ffynone Sixth Form visit

So it was that on the last Friday afternoon of term, some of our Sixth Formers joined Mr Phillips on a behind the scenes tour of one of the city's best known buildings. The links with Sweyn the Viking, who is alleged to have given Swansea its name, were apparent both outside (a longship at the top of the clocktower) and inside (a stone likeness in the foyer.) Our very knowledgeable guide explained that the current Guildhall occupies what was once part of Victoria Park and that its construction was very controversial. However, during the four years it took to build, it offered much needed work at a time of economic depression.

Swansea Council Chamber

We began with a look at the beautifully decorated Council Chamber with its Tasmanian mahogany pillars and tapestry frieze, where our guide regaled us with tales of some memorable events to have taken place there. We were particularly enchanted with the story of the students who, having seen their grants frozen, threw flour bombs into the Chamber and created a veritable snow scene before being ejected! What you might call a whiter shade of hail... These days, it appears, our elected members like to rely on microphones rather than the excellent acoustics and, yes, one of our party (thank you, Eric) couldn't resist switching a microphone on when no one was looking. A future councillor, no doubt.

The Brangwyn Hall

Then it was on to the Brangwyn Hall where we learned the story of how the Brangwyn Panels, originally destined for the House of Lords, came to be purchased by Swansea Council. Did you know that the hall had to be made taller to accommodate them? Have a look at its exterior next time you're passing and you'll see for yourself that it is slightly out of proportion to the rest of the building. Many famous artists, including Pavoraotti, have performed at the venue, which is famed for its excellent acoustics. Intiguingly, a young Aled Jones was forced to record an album in a temporary shed inside the hall because his pure notes kept bouncing off the walls!

During a coffee break, pupils had a chance to meet the Lord Mayor and ask him some questions about the chain of office he was wearing. It turned out to be over 150 years old and contains the coats of arms of some of the previous office holders. He  claimed that he even wears it to bed!

We learned that as the successor to the medieval Portreeve, he still has to give formal permission for ships of the Royal Navy to berth in Swansea. Thus it was that in the Lord Mayor's Parlour we saw the crests of many vessels which have visited the port of Swansea.

Outside this room is kept the gold Mace (similar to that used in the House of Commons) which used to lend authority to council meetings. We were also shown the Guildhall Visitors' Book which contains the signatures of, among others, the Queen, Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, not to mention several Prime Ministers. Sadly, we did not get the chance to append our autographs.

A quick tour of one of the Committee Rooms and the refurbished area of the building (currently undergoing a multi million pound refit) and it was time to leave. We each received a rather fetching commemorative pen and were invited back to celebrate the building's centenary - in 2034! I think some of us will be well and truly retired by then... In the meantime, we all have a greater awareness that the Guildhall is a living centre of local government as well as being a much loved landmark.