Alice in the Civic Centre Wonderland

A young girl wearing an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ costume is filmed for Westward TV. Watch her explore the new modernist building to introduce Plymouth’s new administrative centre to the general public. The Civic Centre is in the heart of the town centre and is inaugurated by the Queen on 26 July 1962. The Plymouth Council House and Chamber originally designed by Hector Stirling and many features remain.

The Civic Centre was built as part of the post-war enthusiasm in the 1950s. The fourteen storey building is a focal point on Royal Parade, together with the ‘Great Square’ landscaping designs around the building itself, it was designed to balance the towers of the Guildhall and Dingles, and for the building and ‘open spaces’ to be enjoyed by the public. Over the years the building has been left in disrepair, yet dispite this the building was granted a Grade II listing in 2007 due to its 1950s charm. Regenerational architectural firm Urban Splash now own the postmodernist building and it is set to remain a major and permanent feature of Plymouth’s cityscape.