Huyton Municipal Building
| Huyton Municipal Building | |
|---|---|
 The building in 2012 | |
| Location | Archway Road, Huyton |
| Coordinates | 53°24′42″N 2°50′27″W / 53.4116°N 2.8407°W |
| Built | 1963 |
| Architect | Henry Kay Pilkinton |
| Architectural style(s) | Modern style |
  Shown in Merseyside | |
Huyton Municipal Building is a municipal building in Archway Road, Huyton, a town in Merseyside, England. The building currently serves as the headquarters of Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council.
History
[edit]Following significant population growth, largely associated with the mining industry, a local board of health was established in Huyton-with-Roby in 1877.[1] Meetings of the local board were held at Huyton and Roby schools in Dam House Lane (now Rupert Road), but after the local board was succeeded by Huyton with Roby Urban District Council in 1895, the new council established its offices in a large redbrick building designed in the Victorian style on the east side of Derby Road.[2][3] The building in Derby Road continued to serve as the offices and meeting place of the district council throughout the first half of the 20th century,[4] but by the middle of the century the area was very dilapidated. The old council offices and surrounding buildings were then demolished to make way for the Sherborne Square Shopping Centre.[5][6]
A new building was commissioned as the first element of a wider redevelopment of Huyton town centre. The site the council selected was open land on the east side of Archway Road.[7] Construction work started on site in 1962.[8] The new building was designed under the supervision of the town surveyor, Henry Kay Pilkinton,[9] in the Modern style and was officially opened in November 1963. A larger building was added to the original two storey block in 1973/74. The design involved a main frontage of 13 bays facing southwest, with the northwest end facing onto Archway Road. It was eight storeys high and featured alternating bands of brown brick and glass.[10]
The building continued to serve as the headquarters of the district council for the next decade and then became the headquarters of the enlarged Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council which was formed in 1974.[11] In December 2023 a joint venture between the charity, Genr8, and the Japanese developer, Kajima Regeneration, submitted proposals on behalf of Knowsley Council to demolish the building,[12] which the council described as "inefficient in terms of energy use and size", and to replace it with a new commercial district, which would incorporate new council offices and a village green.[13][14][15]
References
[edit]- ^ Farrer, William; Brownbill, J. (1907). "'Townships: Huyton with Roby', in A History of the County of Lancaster". London. pp. 168–176. Archived from the original on 18 March 2016.
- ^ "History of Huyton". Timetoast Timelines. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
- ^ "Ordnance Survey Map". 1914. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ "No. 41973". The London Gazette. 4 March 1960. p. 1634.
- ^ New shopping centre for Huyton-with-Roby U.D.C. Vol. 88. Journal of the Institution of Municipal and County Engineers. 1961. p. 104.
- ^ "Huyton". Historic Liverpool. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ "Ordnance Survey Map". 1914. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ "Work on new Huyton Town Centre begun: Council Offices first". Liverpool Echo. 9 May 1962. p. 7. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
- ^ Appointments open. Vol. 122. The Surveyor and Municipal Engineer. 7 December 1963. p. 42.
- ^ "Gift to council and Huyton members also get plaques". Liverpool Echo. 6 November 1963. p. 9. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
- ^ Local Government Act 1972. 1972 c.70. The Stationery Office Ltd. 1997. ISBN 0-10-547072-4.
- ^ Dukes, Emma (8 December 2023). "Municipal building to be demolished as part of major Huyton regeneration plans". Liverpool World. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ McKeon, Christopher (9 December 2020). "New council HQ expected to kickstart Huyton's complete transformation". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ "Huyton's development plans take the next step forward". Knowsley News. 5 December 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ "Major step forward for Huyton development plans". Place North West. 6 December 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2024.