Lambeth Town Hall
Lambeth Town Hall | |
---|---|
Location | Brixton Hill, Lambeth |
Coordinates | 51°27′39″N 0°06′59″W / 51.460727°N 0.116521°W |
Built | 1908 |
Architect | Septimus Warwick and H. Austen Hall |
Architectural style(s) | Edwardian Baroque style |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
Designated | 27 March 1981 |
Reference no. | 1080534 |
Lambeth Town Hall, also known as Brixton Town Hall, is the head office of the London Borough of Lambeth on Brixton Hill and Acre Lane, Brixton, London SW2. It is a Grade II listed building.[1]
History
The building was commissioned by the Metropolitan Borough of Lambeth to replace a smaller town hall building on Kennington Road.[2] After a design competition that attracted 143 entries, Septimus Warwick and H. Austen Hall were selected to design the building in Edwardian Baroque style.[1] Construction began in 1905, with the foundation stone laid by the mayor on the 21 July 1906.[3] The original cost of the building, excluding furnishings, was put at £40,000.[4] It was formally opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales, the future King George V and Queen Mary on 29 April 1908.[5]
The building was extended westwards between 1935 and 1938 to sympathetic designs by Whinney, Son and Austen Hall with E.R. Silver, adding an extra floor and an Assembly Hall.[1] In 1964 a plaque was unveiled at the town hall to commemorate the life of Violette Szabo GC, a member of the Special Operations Executive, who had been brought up in Brixton before serving in the Second World War.[6]
The building was transferred to the London Borough of Lambeth in 1965 and subsequently became the seat of government for that body.[7]
As part of the council's redevelopment of the area, which includes the construction of new residential units and offices alongside,[8] the town hall underwent a £25 million refurbishment, which was completed in 2018.[9]
Features
The building occupies a triangular site, with its longest and principal facades at Brixton Hill and Acre Lane. The rounded front entrance is on the junction of these two roads; above it rises the 134 feet high clock tower which is the building's principal feature and is a local landmark.[4] The clock chimes out every 15 minutes. Sculpted stone figures surround the four clock faces, at the corners of the tower, representing Justice, Science, Art and Literature.[1] On the Brixton Road facade near the foundation stone is a stone war memorial with the names of Lambeth Borough Council staff who died in the First World War.[10]
The main external materials are Portland stone, Norwegian granite and red brick.[4] Both the exterior and interior feature many original decorative details such as sculptures, metalwork and stained glass. Interior spaces include the Council Chamber, meeting rooms, atrium and a community room.[11]
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Clock tower and Brixton Hill facade of Lambeth Town Hall viewed from Windrush Square, 2008
References
- ^ a b c d Historic England. "Lambeth Town Hall (1080534)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- ^ Historic England. "Old Town Hall (Church of England Children's Society), Lambeth (1080399)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
- ^ "London's Town Halls". Historic England. p. 143. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- ^ a b c "Building Intelligence: Brixton, S.W.". The Building News: 629. 1 May 1908.
- ^ Waters, Ruth. "BRIX & MORTAR: Lambeth Town Hall | Brixton Blog | Page 12867". Retrieved 2019-01-02.
- ^ "Violette Szabo, Lambeth Town Hall". Borough Photos. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
- ^ "The London Government Order 1965". Legislation.co.uk. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
- ^ "Your New Town Hall". Your New Town Hall. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
- ^ "Lambeth Town Hall | Morgan Sindall". construction.morgansindall.com. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
- ^ "Plaque: Lambeth war memorial - WW1". London Remembers. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
- ^ "Sneak Preview of Brixton Town Hall renovations". The Lambeth TRA Network. 2017-12-08. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
External links
Media related to Lambeth Town Hall at Wikimedia Commons