Proposals to build a 'Town Hall' existed in 1878 and after 51 years of discussion the construction work began in 1929. In 1934 the decision to build the Guildhall was made and work was started taking nearly three years to complete due to the scarcity of material and labour as a result of WWII.
In 1937 a brand new state-of-the-art Guildhall, built in classical style of the 1930s, was opened by the 17th Earl of Derby and is today
part of a Grade 2* listed building.

Incorporated into the building of the Guildhall was the John Compton Dual Console Pipe Organ unique instrument taking two years to build and is probably worth around £1 million. The organ survived WWII without a scratch even when an unexploded bomb landed right in the centre of the hall. It is still in working order and played at Civil and graduation ceremonies.

The Guildhall's resident Bert Osborne Band, in true theatrical tradition, insisted that the show must go on and played regularly throughout the war years and after; great artists including Paul Robson, Beniamino Gigli graced the stage along with many others, musicians, pop stars, comedians, jazz and military bands and so on.

In the seventies a different sound arrived at the Guildhall - Rock Bands bringing Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, and David Bowie. In the early eighties the Guidhall attracted artistes from America, Gloria Gaynor, Victor Borge, and live broadcasting with the BBC Antiques Roadshow.

In 1989 the good news came that the Guildhall was to be refurbished, enhancing its facilities to meet the challenges of entertainment needs, taking it into the 21st century.

Southampton Guildhall is now the South's largest multipurpose entertainment venue combining Comedy, Classical Orchestras, Family Entertainment and Rock/Pop.

The most popular events still remain in Rock & Pop, with sell out shows from some of the biggest names through the nineties Blur, Oasis, The Charlatans, and Prodigy, and into the 21st century with today's top bands - Southampton-born Craig David, Toploader, Faithless, Suede, Daniel Bedingfield and Sugarbabes.