The grand Victorian town hall on Guildhall Square is the architectural centrepiece of the modern city. Designed in 1890 in a Classical Revival style by William Hill, with a tall central tower and a colonnaded portico, it was severely damaged in a 1941 bombing raid and reconstructed in the 1950s.
The Guildhall is now Portsmouth's main concert venue — a 2,000-seat hall used for orchestral concerts, rock gigs, comedy and ceremonies. Even if you don't go inside for a show, the square in front (lit at night, fountains running in summer) is worth a stop on a city centre walk.