The first floor houses the Lord Mayor’s suite. The largest room, the beautifully proportioned ballroom (which is a replica of the Ballroom of the Palace of Versailles), also serves as a banqueting or reception hall for larger civic occasions and is the piece de resistance of the whole building.

The Ballroom’s seven tall windows open onto the terrace overlooking the Market Square. The columns are embellished with gilt and a highly decorated ceiling hung with beautiful suspended brass electrolier light fittings reminiscent of the Art Deco style. Two minstrel’s galleries and a fully sprung oak and walnut floor complete this beautiful room.

Next to the Ballroom is the smaller Dining Room and is used for smaller receptions. An excellent example of the woodwork in this building, which is of walnut veneer, can be found in this room. There is also an Italian marble fireplace and an oil painting of the Queen by John Townsend, the gift of Mr Lewis H Colton, decorates one wall.

The Lord Mayor’s Parlour is panelled in antique oak, recovered from Aston Hall. It has also been part of the original Exchange which stood on the site of the Council House. As coincidence would have it, when Aston Hall was demolished the wood was returned to the Council House and is now just yards from where it originally stood. Also in the Parlour are signed photographs of the Queen and Prince Philip, given to the city by the royal couple in 1955.

Around the elegant marble staircase there are showcases displaying some of the city’s collection of silver. Prominent in the collection are the Great Mace, the Lord Mayor’s symbol of authority, and two smaller maces of the Sheriff - a unique reminder of the days when the city was divided into a Norman and Saxon part during the period 1449 and 1835.