| Harpenden Town Hall | |
|---|---|
 The building in 2023 | |
| Location | Leyton Road, Harpenden |
| Coordinates | 51°48′47″N0°21′20″W / 51.8131°N 0.3555°W |
| Built | 1994 |
| Architectural style(s) | English vernacular style |
  Shown in Hertfordshire | |
Harpenden Town Hall is a municipal building in Leyton Road in Harpenden, a town in Hertfordshire, in England. It accommodates the offices and meeting place of Harpenden Town Council.
The oldest part of the complex is Park Hall which was commissioned by the British and Foreign School Society as the Harpenden British School. The site was donated by the entrepreneur and agricultural scientist, Sir John Lawes, who lived at Rothamsted Manor. [1]
The building was designed in the English vernacular style, built in red brick and was completed in 1850. The design involved an asymmetrical main frontage of six bays facing onto Leyton Road. The ground floor was projected forward as a lean-to with a recessed doorway, flanked by banded pilasters supporting a segmental-headed arch, in the fourth bay. The other bays were fenestrated by casement windows. On the first floor, there was a wide gable containing a segmental-headed window flanked by decorative half-timbered quatrefoils and other carvings with a stucco infill. [2]
Following the implementation of the Elementary Education Act 1870, the school became a Board School and, in 1897, the school relocated to a more substantial building in Victoria Road. After moving again, to Manland Common, it evolved to become the Sir John Lawes School. [3] Following significant population growth, largely associated with the straw plaiting and brewing industries, an urban district council was formed in the area in 1898. [4] [5] The old school in Leyton Road was acquired by the new council later in 1898 and re-opened as the "Public Hall" in September 1899, acting as the council's meeting place and offices as well as a public events venue. [6]
The building remained the local seat of government until the council relocated to Harpenden Hall in Southdown Road in 1931. [7] The building on Leyton Road, which became known as "Park Hall", continued to be used as a community events venue and served as the local Air Raid Precautions headquarters during the Second World War. [8]
Following local government re-organisation in 1974, the enlarged St Albans District Council took ownership of Park Hall. The building subsequently became dilapidated and, in the 1980s, it was proposed that the building be demolished: however the district council placed an conservation order on the building and agreed to lease it to Harpenden Town Council. [9]
In the early 1990s, the town council decided to refurbish Park Hall and to commission a new building at the rear of the original building to function as a town hall. The new building, which faced onto the side road to the northwest of Park Hall, was designed in a similar style as the original building and built in red brick. The whole complex was officially re-opened by the Secretary of State for Social Security, Peter Lilley, on 8 October 1994. [1] The town council relocated from Harpenden Hall to the new town hall in August 1996. [10] [11]
Works of art in the town hall include a painting by Frank O. Salisbury entitled "Lady in Red". The painting was intended to depict the actress in the role of Katherina in William Shakespeare's play, The Taming of the Shrew. [12]
Hatfield is a town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, in the borough of Welwyn Hatfield. It had a population of 29,616 in 2001, 39,201 at the 2011 Census, and 41,265 at the 2021 Census. The settlement is of Saxon origin. Hatfield House, home of the Marquess of Salisbury, forms the nucleus of the old town. From the 1930s when de Havilland opened a factory, until the 1990s when British Aerospace closed it, aircraft design and manufacture employed more people there than any other industry. Hatfield was one of the post-war New Towns built around London and has much modernist architecture from the period. The University of Hertfordshire is based there.
St Albans is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, 20 miles (32 km) north-west of London, 8 miles (13 km) south-west of Welwyn Garden City and 11 miles (18 km) south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major town on the old Roman road of Watling Street for travellers heading north and became the city of Verulamium. It is within the London commuter belt and the Greater London Built-up Area.
Hemel Hempstead is a town in the Dacorum district in Hertfordshire, England. It is 24 miles (39 km) northwest of London. The population at the 2021 census was 95,961.
Hoddesdon is a town in the Borough of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, lying entirely within the London Metropolitan Area and Greater London Urban Area. The area is on the River Lea and the Lee Navigation along with the New River.
St Albans, also known as the City and District of St Albans, is a local government district with city status in Hertfordshire, England. Its council is based in St Albans, the largest settlement in the district. The district also includes the town of Harpenden and several villages. The district borders North Hertfordshire, Welwyn Hatfield, Hertsmere, Watford, Three Rivers, Dacorum, and Central Bedfordshire.
Harpenden is a town and civil parish in the City and District of St Albans in the county of Hertfordshire, England. The population of the built-up area was 30,674 in the 2021 census, while the population of the civil parish was 31,128. Harpenden is a commuter town, with a direct rail connection to Central London.
Hertford is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. The parish had a population of 26,783 at the 2011 census.
Buntingford is a market town and civil parish in the district of East Hertfordshire and county of Hertfordshire in England. It lies next to the River Rib and is located on the historic Roman road, Ermine Street. As a result of its location, it grew mainly as a staging post with many coaching inns and has an 18th-century one-cell prison known as The Cage, by the ford at the end of Church Street. It has a population of 7879, as of the 2021 UK census.
Ware is a town and civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district, in the county of Hertfordshire, England. It is close to the county town of Hertford. In 2011 the parish had a population of 18,799.
Sir John Lawes School is a mixed state secondary school with academy status in Harpenden, United Kingdom. The school has close links to two other local secondary schools, Roundwood Park School and St George's School, and to the neighbouring Manland Primary School, and is active in the community and abroad.
Letchworth Garden City, commonly known as Letchworth, is a town in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. It is noted for being the first garden city. The population at the time of the 2021 census was 33,990.
The Old Town Hall is a former municipal building in Orford Road, Walthamstow, London. The building served in a municipal capacity from 1866 to 1942 and then served as the main entrance block to the Connaught Hospital from 1959 to 1977. It is a Grade II listed building.
Leyton Town Hall is a municipal building in Adelaide Road, Leyton, London. The building, which includes Leyton Great Hall, is a Grade II listed building.
Slough Town Hall is a former municipal building in Bath Road, Slough, Berkshire, England. The town hall was the headquarters of Slough Borough Council until 2011. The building has been used as a school since 2012.
Hitchin Town Hall is a municipal structure in Brand Street, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Hitchin Urban District Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Letchworth Town Hall is a municipal building in Broadway, Letchworth, Hertfordshire, England. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Letchworth Urban District Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Clydebank Town Hall is a municipal building in Dumbarton Road, Clydebank, Scotland. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Clydebank Burgh Council, is a Category B listed building.
Tring Market House is a municipal building in the High Street, Tring, Hertfordshire, England. The structure, which is the meeting place of Tring Town Council, is a Grade II listed building.
The Municipal Offices are in Lion Street, Blaenavon, Torfaen, Wales. The structure, which was used as the headquarters of Blaenavon Urban District Council, is a Grade II listed building.
The Old Town Hall was a municipal building in the High Street in Rickmansworth, a town in Hertfordshire, in England. The upper floors have been demolished and the ground floor is now in retail use.
Local Government Board Order 37,507: The County of Hertford (Harpenden) Confirmation Order, 1898, coming into operation 15 April 1898
Media related to Harpenden Town Hall at Wikimedia Commons