| Wills Memorial Building | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Perpendicular Gothic, Gothic revival |
| Town or city | Bristol |
| Country | England |
| Construction started | 1915 |
| Completed | 1925 |
| Cost | £501,566 19s 10d |
| Client | W. D. & H. O. Wills |
| Height | 215 ft (65.5 m) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Sir George Oatley |
51°27′22″N 2°36′16″W / 51.45611°N 2.60444°W
The Wills Memorial Building (also known as the Wills Memorial Tower or simply the Wills Tower) is a neo-Gothic building in Bristol, England, designed by Sir George Oatley and built as a memorial to Henry Overton Wills III[1][2][3][4] by his sons George and Henry Wills.[5] Begun in 1915 and not opened until 1925, it is considered one of the last great Gothic buildings to be built in England.[6]
Standing near the top of Park Street on Queens Road,[6] it is a landmark building of the University of Bristol that currently houses the School of Law and the Department of Earth Sciences, as well as the Law and Earth Sciences libraries.[7] It is the fourth highest structure in Bristol, standing at 215 ft (65.5 m).[8]
Many regard the building as synonymous with the University of Bristol. It is the centrepiece building of the university precinct[9] and is used by the university for degree ceremonies and examinations, which take place in the Great Hall.[10]
Architecture commentator Nikolaus Pevsner described it as:
"a tour de force in Gothic Revival, so convinced, so vast, and so competent that one cannot help feeling respect for it."[11]
It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building[12][13] and serves as a regional European Documentation Centre.
- ^ Bristol University | The University | The Wills Memorial Building Archived 10 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "About Bristol – Landmarks – Wills Memorial Tower". Archived from the original on 23 November 2001.
- ^ Building – 686 – Wills Memorial Tower – Bristol
- ^ "Bristol University". Wills Tower set for new glory. Retrieved 23 June 2007.
- ^ Lucy Smith, 100 Buildings 100 Years, 20th Century Society, Batsford, 2014
- ^ a b The Wills Memorial Building is situated at the top of Park Street in Queens Road
- ^ Bristol University | The University | Law Library Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Wills Memorial Building, Bristol | 151240". Emporis. Retrieved 3 May 2022.[dead link]
- ^ Bristol University – Centre for Romantic Studies – Wills Memorial Building Archived 27 June 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Bristol University | The University | Graduation Archived 19 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Wills Memorial Building". University of Bristol, Centre for Romantic Studies. Archived from the original on 27 June 2006. Retrieved 18 March 2006.
- ^ Historic England. "University Tower and Wills Memorial Building and attached front walls and lamps (1218203)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
- ^ "University Tower and Wills Memorial Building and attached front walls and lamps". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2007.
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