The foundation stone for the Council House was laid by Joseph Chamberlain in 1874. Work was completed in 1879 at a cost of £163,000.
The building was designed by Yeoville Thomason, the same architect responsible for the Museum and Art Gallery behind it in Chamberlain Square, completed in 1885. The Council House is still used by Birmingham City Council today and is a Grade II listed building.
Both Chamberlain Square and Victoria Square surround the Council House, and the backdrop of the nearby Town Hall adds greatly to the sense of grandeur.
The Tourism Office and the entrance to the Library of Birmingham lead off Chamberlain Square, while the Town Hall sits prominently between the two squares where they meet.
Victoria Square, in front of the Council House, features impressive water fountains and several well-known sculptures, including the River Goddess by Dhruva Mistry (1993) and the Iron Man by Antony Gormley (1993). Both are overseen by a stern statue of Queen Victoria keeping watch over the square.
The memorial in Chamberlain Square is dedicated to John H. Chamberlain (1880), while a more informal statue of Thomas Attwood — the Birmingham banker and MP — sits reading on the steps of the square. The River Goddess sculpture is affectionately known by locals as the “Floozie in the Jacuzzi”.
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