Barking Town Hall

Barking Town hall is a municipal building in Clockhouse Avenue, Barking, London. The town hall, which is the headquarters of Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council, is a locally listed building.[1]

Barking Town Hall
Barking Town Hall
LocationBarking
Coordinates51.5358°N 0.0784°E / 51.5358; 0.0784
Built1958
ArchitectHerbert Jackson and Reginald Edmonds
Architectural style(s)Neo-Georgian style
Shown in Barking and Dagenham

History
The old town hall in East Street

The building was commissioned to replace the old town hall in East Street.[2][3][4] A large site was chosen for the new building east of Broadway and extensive demolition of aging residential accommodation was undertaken in the late 1930s.[4] The clearance included the buildings on Heath Street which led down to Barking Wharf.[4]

The new building was designed by Herbert Jackson and Reginald Edmonds in the Neo-Georgian style and was inspired by Stockholm City Hall.[4][5] The design for the main frontage in Barking Town Square, which was brick faced, involved nine bays with an arched doorway on the ground floor, a balcony and three tall windows on the first floor and three smaller windows on the second floor; a tall clock tower surmounted by a cupola was erected at roof level.[6] The size of the building was maximised by the use of lengthy side elevations: the elevations on the north west and south east sides extended back 17 bays.[7]

Construction work started in 1939 and was delayed the completed basement was put into use as an air raid shelter for the duration of the Second World War.[7] After the war construction was resumed and was undertaken by the council's own direct workforce at a cost of £520,000.[7] The building was officially opened by Dame Evelyn Sharp, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, on 17 December 1958.[6]

Barking Assembly Hall, which adjoins the main building, was added in 1961.[8] Now known as "The Broadway", it was remodeled as an arts centre and auditorium in 2006.[9]

The town hall was established as the headquarters of the Municipal Borough of Barking and continued to function as the local of seat of government when the enlarged London Borough of Barking and Dagenham was formed in 1965.[10] Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, visited the town hall complex as part of the borough's 50th anniversary celebrations in July 2015.[11][12]

A major refurbishment of the complex, to a design by Hawkins\Brown, was completed in 2006[13] with further alterations to facilitate open plan working being completed in April 2018.[14]

References
  1. "Local List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest" (PDF). London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  2. "Post Memories: The history of Barking Magistrates' Court". Barking and Dagenham Post. 21 November 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  3. Historic England. "Barking Magistrates Court and railing, lampholders and lamps (1359304)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  4. Powell, W R (1966). "'The borough of Barking', in A History of the County of Essex". London: British History Online. pp. 235–248. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  5. "Reginald Edmonds FRIBA". Old Edwardians Gazette. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  6. Howard, Vic. "A Town Hall Mystery". Barking and District Historical Society. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  7. "London's Town Halls". Historic England. p. 2. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  8. "Abbey and Barking Town Centre Conservation Area Appraisal" (PDF). p. 43. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  9. "Broadway Theatre gets OK". Architects Journal. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  10. "Local Government Act 1963". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  11. "Queen's visit: Road closures announced". Barking and Dagenham Post. 15 July 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  12. "Long to Reign Over Us". Isle of Man Stamps & Coins. 11 March 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  13. "The Civic Plunge Revisited" (PDF). C20. 24 March 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  14. "Refurbishment & Alterations to Barking Town Hall, Essex". Barnes Construction. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
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