Friern Barnet Town Hall

Last updated

Friern Barnet Town Hall
Friern Barnet town hall2.JPG
Friern Barnet Town Hall
Location Friern Barnet
Coordinates 51°36′49″N0°09′29″W / 51.6135°N 0.1581°W / 51.6135; -0.1581
Built1941
ArchitectSir John Brown, A E Henson and Partners
Architectural style(s) Neo-Georgian style
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameFormer Friern Barnet Town Hall
Designated2 July 2002
Reference no.1360822
Barnet London UK blank ward map 2002 to 2022.svg
Red pog.svg
Shown in Barnet

Friern Barnet Town Hall is a municipal building in Friern Barnet Lane in Friern Barnet, London, England. The building, which was the headquarters of Friern Barnet Urban District Council from 1941 to 1965, is a Grade II listed building. [1]

History

In the late 19th century, the new Friern Barnet Urban District Council, which had been established in 1894, [2] based itself at offices in Tudor House in Beaconsfield Road but then moved to an 18th-century mansion known as The Priory in Friern Barnet Lane in 1906. [3] [4] [5]

Following significant urban growth in the early 20th century in what was then a developing outer London district, civic leaders decided to demolish The Priory and replace it with a modern town hall on the same site. [3] They appointed Charles Cowles-Voysey, who had designed Watford Town Hall, to assess the design competition: the influence of Cowles-Voysey was apparent in the shape and features of the proposed building. [1] A foundation stone for the new building was laid by the Council Chairman, Councillor John Edward Pickering, on 16 September 1939. [1] It was designed by Sir John Brown, A E Henson and Partners in the Neo-Georgian style and was officially opened on 16 June 1941. [1] [6]

The design involved a concave main frontage of eleven bays facing onto the corner of Friern Barnet Lane and Friern Barnet Road; the central section featured a doorway on the ground floor with a wide cast iron balcony and shield above; there was a clock with a lantern above at roof level. [1] English Heritage has described it as "a good example of pared-down modernism". [1] The principal room was the council chamber which was contained within a structure jutting out to the rear of the main building. [1] A control centre was established in the basement for civil defence purposes in the event of an enemy bomb attack. [1] The future Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, gave a speech to the Friern Barnet Young Conservatives in the town hall in September 1965. [7]

The building continued to serve as the headquarters of Friern Barnet Urban District for much of the 20th century but ceased to be the local seat of government following the formation of the London Borough of Barnet in 1965. [8] The building was subsequently used as workspace for Barnet Council's education and children's departments. [1] After a review by Barnet Council of all its properties in 2002, the building was deemed to be surplus to requirements and sold to Barratt Developments. [9] [10] A programme of works to convert the town hall into a block of apartments known as Aldermen Court was completed in July 2005. [11] [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finchley</span> District of London, England

Finchley is a large district of north London, England, in the London Borough of Barnet. Finchley is on high ground, 7 mi (11 km) north of Charing Cross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muswell Hill</span> Suburb in north London, England

Muswell Hill is a suburban district of the London Borough of Haringey, north London. The hill, which reaches over 100 m (330 ft) above sea level, is situated 5+12 miles north of Charing Cross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Borough of Barnet</span> Borough in the United Kingdom

The London Borough of Barnet is a local authority area on the northern outskirts of London. The borough was formed in 1965 from parts of the ceremonial counties of Middlesex and Hertfordshire. It is the second largest London borough by population with 389,344 inhabitants as of 2021, also making it the 17th largest district in England. The borough covers an area of 86.74 square kilometres (33 sq mi), the fourth highest of the 32 London boroughs, and has a population density of 45.8 people per hectare, which ranks it 25th.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whetstone, London</span> Human settlement in England

Whetstone is a suburb of London, in the London Borough of Barnet, bearing the postcode N20. It is served by an Underground station called Totteridge and Whetstone. Whetstone is around 7.8 miles North of Charing Cross and is a settlement in the London Borough of Barnet, previously part of the Borough of Finchley prior to the 1960s. The combined areas of Totteridge and Whetstone was, at the outset of the 21st century, found to be the 63rd-richest of the more than 9,000 wards of the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Finchley</span> Human settlement in England

East Finchley is an area in North London, immediately north of Hampstead Heath. Like neighbouring Muswell Hill, it straddles the London Boroughs of Barnet and Haringey, with most of East Finchley falling into the London Borough of Barnet. It has the greenest high road in London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Finchley</span> Human settlement in England

North Finchley is a suburb of London in the London Borough of Barnet, situated 7 miles (11 km) north-west of Charing Cross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finchley (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1918–1997

Finchley was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by first-past-the-post voting; its longest-serving and best-known MP was Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990. Although boundary changes meant that she never again attained the large majority by which she won in 1959, her constituents nonetheless returned her by comfortable (9,000) majorities at general elections throughout her premiership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Southgate</span> Human settlement in England

New Southgate is a residential suburb straddling three Outer London Boroughs: a small part of the east of Barnet, a south-west corner of Enfield and in loosest definitions, based on nearest railway stations, a small northern corner of Haringey in North London, England where estates merge into Bounds Green.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Friern Barnet</span> Suburb of London

Friern Barnet is a suburban area within the London Borough of Barnet, 7.4 miles (11.9 km) north of Charing Cross. Its centre is formed by the busy intersection of Colney Hatch Lane, Woodhouse Road and Friern Barnet Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Municipal Borough of Finchley</span>

Finchley, which is now in north London, was a local government district in Middlesex, England, from 1878 to 1965. Finchley Local Board first met in 1878. It became Finchley Urban District Council in 1895 and the Municipal Borough of Finchley in 1933. In 1965 Middlesex was abolished and Finchley became part of the London Borough of Barnet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Friern Barnet Urban District</span>

Friern Barnet Urban District was a local government area in Middlesex, England created in 1883 from the civil parish Friern Barnet. It was succeeded by the London Borough of Barnet in 1965 as one of the smaller of its contributory predecessor districts. It was at the local level governed for nine years by the local board, then by Friern Barnet Urban District Council which operated primarily with separate functions from the County Council, operating occasionally for major planning decisions and major projects together with that body, Middlesex County Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St John, Friern Barnet</span> Church in London , United Kingdom

St John the Evangelist is an Anglican church on Friern Barnet Road in north London. It is a late example of the Gothic Revival Style by Victorian architect John Loughborough Pearson, begun in 1890-91 and completed after his death by his son Frank Loughborough Pearson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hendon Town Hall</span> Municipal building in London, England

Hendon Town hall is a municipal building in the Burroughs, Hendon, London. The town hall, which serves as a meeting place for Barnet London Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barnet London Borough Council</span> Local authority of Barnet in London

Barnet London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Barnet in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 within London. Barnet is divided into 21 wards, each electing three councillors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of the London Borough of Barnet</span>

The coat of arms of the London Borough of Barnet is the official coat of arms of the London Borough of Barnet. It was granted on 1 January 1965.

The 1964 Barnet Council election took place on 7 May 1964 to elect members of Barnet London Borough Council in London, England. The whole council was up for election and the Conservative party gained control of the council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North London Coroner's Court</span> Municipal building in London, England

The North London Coroner's Court is a municipal building located at 29 Wood Street, Chipping Barnet, London. The building, which served as Barnet Town Hall, is a Grade II listed building.

The Friern Barnet & District Local History Society is a group devoted to the history of the Friern Barnet area of North London and its neighbouring areas of North Finchley, New Southgate, Whetstone, and South Friern. The society was formed in 1990 by John Donovan, who lived in the area for nearly 30 years. The first public meeting was held at the former Friern Barnet Town Hall in September 2000. The society sponsors the Friern Barnet Photo Archive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Barnet Town Hall</span> Municipal building in London, England

East Barnet Town Hall is a former municipal building in Station Road, East Barnet, London, England. The town hall, which was the headquarters of East Barnet Urban District Council, is a locally listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sydney Simmons</span>

Sydney Simmons was an English entrepreneur and philanthropist in Okehampton, Devon, and Friern Barnet, Middlesex. Born in Devon, he was first apprenticed to a drapery company before travelling to London in 1862 where he became the North American representative of a carpet company. He acquired the rights to a new carpet cleaning process, the exploitation of which in Britain made him wealthy. He lived in Friern Barnet and funded a number of philanthropic projects there and in his native Okehampton where he was buried.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Historic England. "Former Friern Barnet Town Hall (1360822)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  2. "Friern Barnet UD". A Vision of Britain. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
  3. 1 2 Baggs, A. P.; Bolton, Diane K.; Hicks, M. A.; Pugh, R. B. (1980). "'Friern Barnet: Local government', in A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 6, Friern Barnet, Finchley, Hornsey With Highgate, ed. T F T Baker and C R Elrington". London: British History Online. pp. 25–27. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  4. "Ordnance Survey Map". 1936. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  5. "London's Town Halls". Historic England. p. 9. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  6. "Friern Barnet Town Hall". Royal Institute of British Architects. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  7. "Speech to Friern Barnet Young Conservatives". The Margaret Thatcher Foundation. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  8. "Local Government Act 1963". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  9. "Friern Barnet Town Hall is an important historical site". News Shopper. 14 February 2002. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  10. "Town hall will be converted". Hendon & Finchley, Barnet & Potters Bar, Edgware and Mill Hill Times. 27 May 2004. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  11. "Friern Barnet Town Hall". Friern Barnet and District Local History Society. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  12. "Friern Barnet Town Hall" (PDF). Friern Barnet and District Local History Society. p. 147. Retrieved 26 November 2020.