[10] Architecture commentator Nikolaus Pevsner described it as: "a tour de force in Gothic Revival, so convinced, so vast, and so competent that one cannot help feeling respect for it.

[16] Work resumed in 1919, and the Wills Memorial Building was finally opened on 9 June 1925 by King George V and Queen Mary,[17] having cost a total of £501,566 19s 10d.

The building was opened with a Royal Salute of 21 chimes from 'Great George', the nine-and-a-half ton bell within the octagonal belfry of the tower, which is tolled on the death of a monarch or chancellor.

The alleged connection of the Wills family to historical slavery via the U.S. tobacco industry attracted controversy in the 2010s, with some students petitioning the University of Bristol to rename the building in March 2017.

[22] The building's dominant feature is the Wills Tower, built in reinforced concrete faced with Bath and Clipsham stone,[2] with carving designed in collaboration with Jean Hahn of King's Heath Guild, Birmingham.

It is topped by an octagonal lantern which houses Great George (England's ninth-largest bell, weighing over 9.5 tonnes)[23] which strikes on the hour.

The engraving had remained hidden for over 80 years[26] and recognises the role of Sir Isambard Owen (then Vice-Chancellor) in the realisation of Oatley's plans.