This Italian-style hall once housed the cheese, fruit and vegetable market, illustrated by the sculpted basket of fruit on the roof. It also became a venue for entertainment, with Charles Dickens reading from his own work on one occasion. Although City Hall is not open all year round, it is definitely a place worth visiting during events. It is one of the city's most impressive concert halls and hosts a number of cultural productions but it also provides space for other functions and meetings. The venue has an annex, The Old Fruitmarket, which often caters for musical events of a less classical nature.
