By the beginning of 1941, visits by Herr Goering's Urban Rearrangement Department - the German Luftwaffe, were becoming a regular feature of night time in Portsmouth, and the city suffered terrible damage over an extended period of time.
We're not absolutely sure of the exact location of this scene of destruction, but you can see that the bombs were getting closer and closer to the Guildhall - finally, on 10 January 1941, a cluster of incendiary bombs pierced the roof of the Guildhall and the resulting inferno completely gutted the interior of the building.
After the war, the council wanted to demolish the shell and build a completely new Guildhall, but overwhelming public opinion persuaded them to refurbish the old one - the interior was designed by Barry Webber, retaining as much of the outer shell as possible, although the clocktower was modified considerably.
The Guildhall was eventually reopened by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II on 8 June 1959. |
