Seat of Local Government - Nomenclature

Nomenclature

The term "town hall" is a general one, often applied without regard to whether the building serves or served a town or a city. This is generally the case in the United Kingdom (with examples such as Manchester Town Hall in the city of Manchester), Australia (with Sydney Town Hall in the city of Sydney), New Zealand, Hong Kong, and many other Commonwealth countries.

English-speakers in some regions use the term "city hall" to designate the council offices of a municipality of city status. This is the case in North America, where a distinction is made between city halls and town halls. It is also the case with Brisbane City Hall in Australia and Sheffield City Hall in England, which houses a concert hall and ballroom.

The Oxford English Dictionary sums up the generic terms:

• town hall: "A large hall used for the transaction of the public business of a town, the holding of a court of justice, assemblies, entertainments, etc.; the great hall of the town-house or municipal building; now very commonly applied to the whole building"
• city hall: "chiefly N. Amer., the chief municipal offices of a city; hence, the municipal officers collectively"

County Council administrations in parts of England and Wales generally operate from a base in a building called, by analogy, a "County Hall" or "Shire Hall". Conversely, cities that have subdivisions with their own councils may have borough halls. In Scotland, local government in larger cities operates from the "City Chambers".

Elsewhere in English-speaking countries, other names are occasionally used. In London, the official headquarters of administration of the City of London retains its Anglo-Saxon name, the Guildhall, signifying a place where taxes were paid. In a small number of English cities (including Birmingham, Coventry and Nottingham) the preferred term is "Council House": this was also the case in Bristol until 2012, when the building was renamed "City Hall". In Birmingham, there is a clear distinction between the Council House, the seat of local government, and Birmingham Town Hall, a concert and meeting venue. In Liverpool, Liverpool Town Hall is the name given to the official residence of the City's Lord Mayor.