Finsbury Town Hall

Finsbury Town Hall is a municipal building in Finsbury, London. It is a Grade II* listed building.[1]

Finsbury Town Hall
Finsbury Town Hall
LocationRosebery Avenue, Finsbury
Coordinates51°31′36.97″N 0°6′29.13″W
Built1895
ArchitectWilliam Charles Evans-Vaughan
Architectural style(s)Flemish Renaissance Revival style
Listed Building – Grade II*
Designated29 December 1950
Reference no.1293112
Shown in Islington

History

The foundation stone for the building was laid in 1894.[2] It was designed by William Charles Evans-Vaughan in the Flemish Renaissance Revival style.[3] The facility was built with red bricks and Portland stone dressings by Charles Dearing of Islington and was officially opened by Lord Rosebery as the Clerkenwell Vestry on 14 July 1895.[3] After being extended to cover the whole area between Garnault Place and Rosoman Street in the late 1890s, it became the meeting place of the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury in 1900.[3]

During the Second World War an air raid shelter and control centre was built under Garnault Place with access from the town hall; the underground facility continued to maintained during the Cold War in case of nuclear attack.[3]

The town hall was transferred to the Islington London Borough Council in 1965.[3] In 1993 a plaque was erected outside the town hall to commemorate the life of Sir Dadabhai Naoroji, the first Asian to become a British Member of Parliament.[4]

Although it was no longer the seat of local government, it was used for a while as a registry office and a social services centre.[2] Then, after a period of dereliction and subsequent restoration, the town hall became home to the performing arts college Urdang Academy, with the main rooms used for dancing classes, in 2007.[5]

  • Town Hall entrance
  • Clerkenwell Town Hall plaque
  • Finsbury Town hall - Council chamber
  • Finsbury Town Hall - Great hall
  • Finsbury Town Hall plaque
  • Finsbury Town Hall front side
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References
  1. Historic England. "Finsbury Town Hall, Islington (1293112)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  2. "London's Town Halls". Historic England. p. 121. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  3. Temple, Philip (2008). "'Rosebery Avenue', in Survey of London: Volume 47, Northern Clerkenwell and Pentonville". London: British History Online. pp. 109–139. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  4. "Activism and Politics". British Library. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  5. "Finsbury - Hidden London". hidden-london.com. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
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