Southgate Town hall is a municipal building in

Green Lanes Green Lanes may refer to: *A green lane (road), a type of road, usually an unpaved rural route. *Green Lanes (London), a major road running through north London * Harringay, a neighbourhood in the London Borough of Haringey The London Borough o ...

Palmers Green Palmers Green is a suburban area and electoral ward in North London, England, within the London Borough of Enfield. It is located within the N13 postcode district, around north of Charing Cross. It is home to the largest population of Greek Cy ...

, London.

History

The building was commissioned by the

local board of health Local boards or local boards of health were local authorities in urban areas of England and Wales from 1848 to 1894. They were formed in response to cholera epidemics and were given powers to control sewers, clean the streets, regulate environmenta ...

as dedicated municipal offices in anticipation of Southgate becoming an

urban district Urban district may refer to: * District * Urban area * Quarter (urban subdivision) * Neighbourhood Specific subdivisions in some countries: * Urban districts of Denmark * Urban districts of Germany * Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland) (hist ...

in 1894. The site they selected was agricultural land associated with Bowes Farm. The municipal offices, the northern section of the current complex, were designed by Arthur Rowland Barker in the Queen Anne style and completed in 1893. The design involved an asymmetrical main frontage with five bays facing onto Green Lanes; there was a porch in the middle of the building and the right hand two bays projected forwards and there were rows of

sash windows A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels, or "sashes". The individual sashes are traditionally paned windows, but can now contain an individual sheet (or sheets, in the case of double glazing) of glass. History T ...

on the ground floor and first floor. In 1914, the building was extended southwards by adding another five bays: this time the left hand two bays projected forward to achieve a symmetrical composition, and a clock tower was added on the roof. The principal room in the extension was the new council chamber. A stone name plaque bearing the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

of the borough with the words "Southgate Town Hall" below was erected on the front elevation of the building. The building became the headquarters of the

Municipal Borough of Southgate Southgate was a local government district of Middlesex from 1881 to 1965. It was part of the London postal district and Metropolitan Police District. Incorporation and development The area was historically part of the parish of Edmonton, which ...

when the area was granted

municipal borough Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002. Broadly similar structures existed in S ...

status in 1933. A public library, which subsequently became known as "Palmers Green library", was erected to the north west of the main building in April 1940. The town hall served as the local Civil Defence Control Centre during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. Princess Alexandra, who had already visited the building as a child, visited it again in 1961. The building ceased to function as the local of seat of government when the enlarged

London Borough of Enfield The London Borough of Enfield () is a London borough in North London. It borders the London boroughs of Barnet to the west, Haringey to the south, and Waltham Forest to the southeast. To the north are the districts of Hertsmere, Welwyn Hat ...

was formed in 1965. It was subsequently used as the Local History Archive until 2009 when it was deemed surplus to requirements and marketed for sale. It was acquired by the developer, Hollybrook Homes, in November 2013 and conversion of the property for residential use as "Prytaneum Court" (''Prytaneion'' is a Greek word meaning "seat of government") was completed in September 2015. As part of the transaction the developer agreed to undertake a programme of refurbishment works at a cost of £4.45 million at Palmers Green Library. The memorials commemorating council employees who had died in the

First First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

and the

Second World Wars World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

had been recovered from the town hall before it was converted and rededicated at Palmers Green Library in January 2019.

References

{{reflist Government buildings completed in 1910 City and town halls in London buildings and structures in the London Borough of Enfield