Waltham Forest Town Hall

Last updated

Waltham Forest Town Hall
Waltham Forest Town Hall.jpg
The south facade from Forest Road in July 2022
Location Walthamstow
Coordinates 51°35′28″N0°0′49″W / 51.59111°N 0.01361°W / 51.59111; -0.01361
Built1942
Architect Philip Dalton Hepworth
Architectural style(s) Stripped Classicism
Listed Building – Grade II
Designated9 March 1982
Reference no.1190868
Waltham Forest London UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Shown in Waltham Forest

Waltham Forest Town Hall (formerly Walthamstow Town Hall) is a municipal building located in Walthamstow, East London. The town hall, which is the headquarters of Waltham Forest London Borough Council, is a Grade II Listed Building. [1]

Contents

History

The first civic building in the area was a single storey public hall in Orford Road, Walthamstow, which probably dated back to the first half of the 19th century. [2] This was demolished and replaced by an Italianate style town hall in Orford Road in 1866. [3] [4]

After the area became an urban district in 1895 and then a municipal borough in 1929, [5] civic leaders decided to procure a purpose-built town hall: the site chosen for the new building had previously been occupied by Chestnuts Farm, also known as Clay Farm. [6] They decided that the new town hall would be flanked to the south east by an assembly hall which would be built in the same architectural style and at the same time as the town hall. [1]

The foundation stone for the new building, in which contemporary artifacts were placed, was laid in 1938. [7] The building was designed by Philip Dalton Hepworth [8] in the stripped classical style. [6] Construction of the building, which was built of Portland stone, was interrupted by the Second World War and not completed until 1942. [9] [10] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with 19 bays facing onto Forest Road with the end bays projecting forwards; the central section featured a three-bay full-height portico with piers supporting a frieze above containing the words "Walthamstow Town Hall"; there was a tall copper-clad clock tower at roof level. [1] Internally, the principal room was the council chamber which projected to the rear of the building: five statues carved by John Francis Kavanagh were installed on the external walls of the council chamber and six relief sculptures, also by Kavanagh, were erected on the portico piers. [11]

The assembly hall, which was also completed in 1942, was used as a British Restaurant during the Second World War. [11] The town hall continued to serve as the local seat of government after the expanded Waltham Forest London Borough Council was formed in 1965. [12] The assembly hall hosted a concert performance by Yehudi Menuhin in January 1960 [13] and by Plácido Domingo in July 1974. [14] Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh visited the town hall and had lunch with civic officials in March 2012. [15] The building also hosted the Antiques Roadshow in December 2014 and, again, in January 2015. [16]

The council approved an extensive programme of renovation works to the town hall and the assembly hall in October 2019; the works authorised also included improved landscaping with water jets, night-time illumination and a reflection pool. [17] The renovation of the town hall was completed in 2021 with further changes including the creation of Fellowship Square and the Queen Elizabeth II memorial garden at the rear with a copy of The Arch by Henry Moore. [18] [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chingford</span> Town in east London, England

Chingford is a town in east London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. The centre of Chingford is 9.2 miles (14.8 km) north-east of Charing Cross, with Waltham Abbey to the north, Woodford Green and Buckhurst Hill to the east, Walthamstow to the south, and Edmonton and Enfield to the west. It had a population of 70,583 at the 2021 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leyton</span> Town in east London, England

Leyton is a town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It borders Walthamstow to the north, Leytonstone to the east, and Stratford to the south, with Clapton, Hackney Wick and Homerton, across the River Lea, to the west. The area includes New Spitalfields Market, Leyton Orient Football Club, as well as part of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The town consists largely of terraced houses built between 1870 and 1910, interspersed with some modern housing estates. It is 6.2 miles (10 km) north-east of Charing Cross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walthamstow</span> Town in London, England

Walthamstow is a town in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, around 7.5 miles (12 km) north-east of Central London. The town borders Chingford to the north, Snaresbrook and South Woodford to the east, Leyton and Leytonstone to the south, and Tottenham to the west. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of approximately 109,424.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Borough of Waltham Forest</span> London borough in United Kingdom

The London Borough of Waltham Forest is an outer London borough formed in 1965 from the merger of the municipal boroughs of Leyton, Walthamstow and Chingford.

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

Walthamstow Village is the oldest part of Walthamstow, east London. It was designated a Conservation Area by the London Borough of Waltham Forest in 1967, and another Conservation Area on nearby Orford Road was subsequently added. The area centres on St. Mary's Church, which was founded in the 12th century. Across the road from this is a 15th-century timber-framed hall house called "The Ancient House", which was restored in 1934 and 2002. Nearby are almshouses dating from the 16th and 18th centuries, and the Vestry House Museum, which has been used as a workhouse and police station, but has been a museum since 1931. It also holds the archives of the borough and a local studies library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Epping Forest District</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

Epping Forest District is a local government district in Essex, England. It is named after the ancient woodland of Epping Forest, a large part of which lies within the district. The district covers northeastern parts of the urban area of London, including the suburban towns of Epping, Loughton, Waltham Abbey, Chigwell, and Buckhurst Hill, as well as rural areas beyond it. The district is situated in the west of the county, bordering north-eastern Greater London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walthamstow Pumphouse Museum</span>

The Walthamstow Pumphouse Museum is a museum based in Walthamstow, in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is based in and around Low Hall Pumping Station, a Grade II listed building, originally built as a sewage pumping station in 1885.

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

Sewardstone is a hamlet in the parish of Waltham Abbey, in the Epping Forest District of Essex, England. It is located south of the main built-up area of Waltham Abbey, lying between Epping Forest, Chingford and Enfield. It is 11.6 miles north-northeast of Central London and is in the London commuter belt.

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

Waltham Abbey is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex, within the metropolitan and urban area of London, England, 13.5 miles (21.7 km) north-east of Charing Cross. It lies on the Greenwich Meridian, between the River Lea in the west and Epping Forest in the east, with large sections forming part of the Metropolitan Green Belt.

Highams Park is a district in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, England, near Epping Forest and 8.1 miles (13 km) north-east of Charing Cross.

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

Chingford was a local government district in south west Essex, England from 1894 to 1965, around the town of Chingford. It was within the London suburbs, forming part of the London postal district and Metropolitan Police District. Its former area now corresponds to the northern part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest in Greater London.

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

Leyton was a local government district in southwest Essex, England, from 1873 to 1965. It included the neighbourhoods of Leyton, Leytonstone and Cann Hall. It was suburban to London, forming part of the London postal district and Metropolitan Police District. It now forms the southernmost part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest in Greater London.

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

Walthamstow was a local government district in southwest Essex, England from 1873 to 1965, around the town of Walthamstow. It was within the London suburbs, forming part of the London postal district and Metropolitan Police District. Its former area now corresponds to the central part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest in Greater London. Its population and area grew rapidly as London continued to develop its suburbs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waltham Forest London Borough Council</span>

Waltham Forest London Borough Council, also known as Waltham Forest Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Waltham Forest in London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under Labour majority control since 2010. The council is based at Waltham Forest Town Hall in Walthamstow.

Philip Dalton Hepworth was a British architect. He studied in both the UK and France, at the Architectural Association School of Architecture and the École des Beaux-Arts, and returned to work as an architect after serving in the First World War. He rose to prominence in the 1930s, featuring in a book by architectural critic Trystan Edwards and winning the commission in 1932 to design Walthamstow Town Hall, which was eventually completed in 1942. Another civic building of this period was Wiltshire County Hall at Trowbridge. He also designed a handful of private houses, including Pemberley, in Loughton, 1936. He lived in Zoffany House in Strand-on-the-Green, Chiswick, London, from 1936.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walthamstow Granada</span> Building in Walthamstow, Walthamstow

Walthamstow Granada is a Grade II* listed building housing a pub, cinema and cultural centre in Walthamstow, London. The building is famous for having been frequented by Alfred Hitchcock during its time as a cinema. It was built on a site where films were shown as early as 1896.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">F. G. Southgate</span>

F. G. Southgate, ARIBA, was the borough architect, engineer and surveyor, for the Municipal Borough of Walthamstow, in Essex, England, in the post-Second World War period.

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

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.

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

Chingford Town Hall is a municipal building in The Ridgeway, Chingford, London. It is a locally listed building.

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

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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Historic England. "Waltham Town Hall (1190868)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  2. ↑ "What is on the site of this grand public hall today?". Epping Forest Guardian. 19 January 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  3. ↑ Historic England. "Old Town Hall, Wathamstow (1191150)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  4. ↑ "An I-Kuan Tao temple has opened in the former Walthamstow town hall building, in Orford Road". East London and West Essex Guardian. 10 August 2009. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  5. ↑ Powell, W R (1973). "'Walthamstow: Local government and public services', in A History of the County of Essex". London: British History Online. pp. 275–285. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  6. 1 2 "Walthamstow Town Hall". Hidden London. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  7. ↑ "Top 10 Things To Do in the Borough of Waltham Forest". Londonist. 21 August 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  8. ↑ "Philip Dalton Hepworth". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  9. ↑ Novotny, Lukas. Page 34. Modern London. White Lion Publishing; 2018. ISBN   978-0-7112-3972-2.
  10. ↑ "The Civic Plunge Revisited" (PDF). Twentieth Century Society. 24 March 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  11. 1 2 "London's Town Halls". Historic England. p. 195. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  12. ↑ Youngs, Frederic (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England. Vol. I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN   0-901050-67-9.
  13. ↑ "Sir Colin Davis: His Early Recordings". Presto Classical. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  14. ↑ "Verdi & Puccini Duets". Music.web. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  15. ↑ "The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited Waltham Forest Town Hall, in Walthamstow, in 2012". East London and West Essex Guardian. 21 April 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  16. ↑ "Walthamstow Town Hall". BBC. 20 January 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  17. ↑ "Transforming the heart of Waltham Forest". Waltham Forest Council. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  18. ↑ "Fellowship Square, Walthamstow". London Borough of Waltham Forest. 5 June 2024.
  19. ↑ "Fellowship Square Trail" (PDF). London Borough of Waltham Forest. 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.