Lambeth Town Hall
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]
| Lambeth Town Hall | |
|---|---|
 Acre Lane facade of Lambeth Town Hall, 2015 | |
| Location | Brixton Hill, Lambeth |
| Coordinates | 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 |
  Shown in Lambeth | |
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]
Clock tower and Brixton Hill facade of Lambeth Town Hall viewed from Windrush Square, 2008
References
- 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.
- "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
