This monument to Victorian civic pride is the last in a series of Plymouth guildhalls, each larger than the one before. It was designed by local architects Alfred Norman and James Hine in the then-fashionable Gothic style. Gutted during the blitz, it could have been lost to Plymouth’s post-war fervour for new building. Instead the Council decided to rebuild the Guildhall. As well as housing civic ceremonies, the Guildhall offers a venue for fairs, concerts and other events.