Decoration: Cutlers’ Hall Sheffield

SHEFFIELD - The large hall known as the Cutlers' Hall at Sheffield is undergoing an important scheme of decoration, from the designs and drawings of Mr. Walter H. Brierley, architect, of York. One of the features of this scheme is a magnificent marble dado round the entire hall, rising to height of 9ft. 6in. from the floor level, formed with rich green Vert Tinos skirting and frieze, and opened or quartered panels of specially-selected Connemara green marble, the architraves and soffits of doorways and bands round the Irish green panels being in richly-marked purple Levants or porphyry, all the external angles to the marble-work being finished in heavy moulded coinage bronze angle-beads, with wrought leaf ornament at the intersections of mitres to doorways. At the front of the Ladies' Gallery, the marble is continued above the dado in a soft mellow cream marble known as Mazzano, to the height of the handrail, finishing with a heavy moulded coinage bronze capping, into which the standards  supporting the handrail (all of the same metal) are fixed. The whole of this work was entrusted by Mr. Brierley to Messrs. J. and H. Patteson, Marble Workers, of Manchester, who have completed their work in the short period of twenty weeks from receipt of instructions. Above the marble dado, at intervals all round the hall, are massive double columns and pilasters up to the ceiling. These are being carried out in Cippolino scagliola.  The dado breaks round the bases of these monoliths, standing 2 feet forward from wall line, which gives a very fine effect to the scheme of panelling employed by the architect. The richly- panelled ceilings and walls are being treated in a colour scheme in perfect harmony with the rest of the decorations, and when the room —which is 100 feet long by 50 feet wide— is cleared of the scaffolding, the fact which will impress the observer most is the refined Richness of the decorative scheme as a whole. [Building News 18 August 1911 page 222]

Reference           Building News 18 August 1911 page 222]