| Watford Town Hall | |
|---|---|
 Watford Town Hall | |
| Location | Rickmansworth Road, Watford |
| Coordinates | 51°39′34″N0°24′11″W / 51.6594°N 0.4031°W Coordinates: 51°39′34″N0°24′11″W / 51.6594°N 0.4031°W |
| Built | 1939 |
| Architect | Charles Cowles-Voysey |
| Architectural style(s) | Neo-Georgian style |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Designated | 21 December 1994 |
| Reference no. | 1251002 |
  Shown in Hertfordshire | |
Watford Town Hall is a municipal building in Rickmansworth Road, Watford, England. It is a Grade II listed building. [1]
In the early 20th century Watford Urban District Council operated from municipal offices at Upton House in The Parade. [2] The council sought a proper town hall after it achieved municipal borough status in 1922. [3] The site proposed for the new building in Rickmansworth Road had previously been occupied by an old mansion known as "The Elms". [2] The foundation stone for the new building was laid by Rigby Taylor, the Mayor, in 1938. [4] The new building, which was designed by Charles Cowles-Voysey in the Neo-Georgian style, [5] was completed in 1939. [1] It was officially opened by the Countess of Clarendon on 5 January 1940. [4] [6] The design involved a concave main frontage of seven bays facing Rickmansworth Road from which wings stretched back to the south west and north west; the central section featured a doorway with a wide cast iron balcony and a shield above; there was a clock with a lantern above at roof level. [1]
The facility also included a large public venue at the south west end of the complex initially known as "Watford Town Hall Assembly Rooms" but now referred to as the Watford Colosseum. [7]
During the Second World War, William Joyce, who as Lord Haw-Haw broadcast Nazi propaganda from Germany to the UK, criticised Watford Borough Council for the fact that the town hall clock was always two minutes slow. [8] Meanwhile British military forces carried out defensive exercises in case German invading forces ever stormed the town hall. [8]
In 1971 the Watford Peace Memorial, which had originally been constructed outside the Peace Memorial Hospital, was moved to a location on the Parade just outside the building. [9]
The town hall remains the headquarters of Watford Borough Council [10] which, in August 2019, initiated a consultation on a rejuvenation plan which could see the area around the town hall being turned into a "cultural hub" and the town hall itself being converted into a hotel. [11] [12] The council indicated that, while the rest of the building might be redeveloped, the council chamber and committee rooms would be kept in their current use. [12]
Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Watford Junction is a railway station that serves Watford, Hertfordshire. The station is on the West Coast Main Line (WCML), 17 miles 34 chains from London Euston and the Abbey Line, a branch line to St Albans. Journeys to London take between 16 and 52 minutes depending on the service used: shorter times on fast non-stop trains and slower on the stopping Watford DC line services. Trains also run to Clapham Junction and East Croydon via the West London Line. The station is a major hub for local bus services and the connecting station for buses to Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter. The station is located north of a viaduct over the Colne valley and immediately south of Watford Tunnel.
Three Rivers is a local government district in south-west Hertfordshire, England. Its council is based in Rickmansworth.
Croxley Green is both a village and a suburb of Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire, England. It is also a civil parish. Located on the A412 between Watford to the northeast and Rickmansworth to the southwest, it is approximately 20 miles (32 km) northwest of central London.
Chorleywood is both a village and a civil parish in the Three Rivers District, Hertfordshire, on the border with Buckinghamshire, approximately 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Charing Cross. The village is adjacent to the Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is part of the London commuter belt included in the government-defined Greater London Urban Area. Chorleywood was historically part of the parish of Rickmansworth, becoming a separate ecclesiastical parish in 1845 and a separate civil parish in 1898. The population of the parish was 11,286 at the 2011 census.
South West Hertfordshire is a constituency in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament, represented since 2019 by Gagan Mohindra, a Conservative.
Watford is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Conservative Party MP Dean Russell.
Watford Rural is a civil parish in the Three Rivers District of Hertfordshire, England. Located approximately 14 miles (23 km) northwest of central London and adjacent to the Greater London boundary, it is an urbanised parish characterised by suburban residential development. The local council is Watford Rural Parish Council. The parish covers South Oxhey and Carpenders Park, which although part of the Watford urban area, are outside the borough of Watford. The parish was created in 1894 when the ancient Watford parish was split into urban and rural parishes. At the 2011 census it had a population of 20,867.
Cassiobury House was a country house in Cassiobury Park, Watford, England. It was the ancestral seat of the Earls of Essex. Originally a Tudor building, dating from 1546 for Sir Richard Morrison, it was substantially remodelled in the 17th and 19th centuries and ultimately demolished in 1927. The surrounding Cassiobury Park was turned into the main public open space for Watford.
Cassiobridge was a proposed London Underground station in Watford, Hertfordshire, England. The station would have been part of the Croxley Rail Link project, a scheme to extend the Metropolitan line to Watford Junction railway station. It would have been served by Metropolitan line trains between Watford Junction and Central London via Baker Street. The railway line would run over Ascot Road via a viaduct and the platforms would have been situated on the east side of the road. Entrance to the station would have been from the west side of the road, with a ticket hall and other facilities at street level. Passengers would gain access to the platforms via stairs and lifts and a short footbridge over the road.
Watford Colosseum is an entertainment venue in Watford, Hertfordshire, England. Established in 1938, as the Assembly Rooms for Watford Town Hall, the complex was extended in 2011 with improvements which included new meeting spaces, a new restaurant and new bar facilities.
This page provides brief details of primary schools in the borough of Three Rivers in Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom.
Watford Central, a planned London Underground station in the centre of Watford, Hertfordshire, was to be the terminus of a proposed extension of the Metropolitan line from the present-day Watford tube station to the High Street opposite Clarendon Road. The proposed station booking hall has long gone, however, the facade was retained and a new building constructed behind it. It is now The Moon Under Water public house.
Watford railway station was a railway station in Watford, Hertfordshire in the UK. It was opened by the London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) and it was the first railway station to open in Watford. It closed in 1858 when it was replaced by Watford Junction railway station. Today the small ticket office is still standing and it is a Grade II listed building.
Buxton Town Hall was opened in 1889 on the Market Place in Buxton, Derbyshire, England. It lies in the town's central Conservation Area overlooking The Slopes. It is a Grade-II-listed building.
Berkhamsted Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England. It is a Grade II listed building.
Wakefield Town Hall is a municipal building in Wood Street in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It remains a venue for weddings and civil partnerships but is no longer the headquarters of Wakefield Council which is now based at County Hall. The town hall is a Grade I listed building.
Thornaby Town Hall is a municipal building in the Mandale Road in Thornaby-on-Tees, North Yorkshire, England. The building, which is owned by Thornaby Town Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Eastbourne Town Hall is a municipal building in Grove Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, England. The town hall, which is the meeting place of Eastbourne Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Colne Town Hall is a municipal building in Albert Road, Colne, Lancashire, England. The town hall, which is the meeting place of Colne Town Council, is a grade II listed building.
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