Birmingham Town Hall, Birmingham

The Birmingham Town Hall, opened in 1834 and was built as a venue for concerts and public assemblies. It rests on a high podium of rusticated stone. The columns are topped with Corinthian capitals carved with acanthus leaves, above which is a simple architrave and dentil cornice. Behind the colonnade, the Town Hall has tall windows with eared architraves. At the south end of the podium is a two-bay arcade marking the main entrance.

Today the Town Hall hosts jazz, folk, rock, pop, and classical music, as well as recitals, dance, and educational performances. Not content with that, it also accommodates general meetings, product launches, dinners, fashion shows, and graduations.

In 1853, Charles Dickens gave his first public reading of one of his own works in the Hall, performing A Christmas Carol on December 27. The visit of David Lloyd George in December 1901 triggered a riot. Mendelssohn's Elijah received its world premiere here in 1846, conducted by Mendelssohn himself. The Town Hall was the main concert venue of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra until the orchestra moved to Symphony Hall in 1991.

Popular headline acts also made their appearance. Among them were Buddy Holly, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, The Rolling Stones, and, naturally, Bob Dylan.