Lunchtime Lecture: The Age of Great Cities: The Town Halls of Victoria and Albert

The Victoria era was known as The Age of Great Cities, as the booming industrial conurbations of Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham sought to translate their wealth into civic pride and confident urban architecture. At the aesthetic and cultural core of the 19th century city was the Town Hall: designed as a testament to a city’s history, and its future ambitions. In this lecture, V&A Director Dr Tristram Hunt explores the architectural, intellectual and political history of the Victorian town hall and asks what that sense of municipal patriotism might offer city life today.

Visit our SoundCloud channel to listen to past Lunchtime Lectures: soundcloud.com/vamuseum/sets/v-a-lunchtime-lecture-series