Woolwich Town Hall is an early 20th-century town hall located in the historic

Bathway Quarter Bathway Quarter is an area of historic interest in the centre of Woolwich, South East London. Most buildings in the Bathway Quarter are Grade II*, Grade II or locally listed, while the area as a whole is designated a conservation area by Greenw ...

in the centre of

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained thr ...

, South East London. Until 1965 it was the seat of local government of the

Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich The Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich was a metropolitan borough in the County of London from 1900 to 1965. It was formed from the civil parishes of Eltham, Plumstead and Woolwich. Its former area is now part of the Royal Borough of Greenwich and ...

, after which it became the headquarters of the

Greenwich London Borough Council Greenwich London Borough Council is the local authority for the Royal Borough of Greenwich in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. Greenwich is divided into 23 wards, electing ...

. It is a rare example of an

Edwardian Baroque Edwardian architecture is a Neo-Baroque architectural style that was popular in the British Empire during the Edwardian era (1901–1910). Architecture up to the year 1914 may also be included in this style. Description Edwardian architecture is ...

town hall in London and is a Grade II*-listed building. The Town Hall is also the

register office A register office or The General Register Office, much more commonly but erroneously registry office (except in official use), is a British government office where births, deaths, marriages, civil partnership, stillbirths and adoptions in England ...

for the borough.

History

London-Woolwich, Calderwood St-Polytechnic St, Old Town Hall

Initially, the local government of Woolwich, then a

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

in the

County of Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces the ...

, met in a room next to the poorhouse and in the parish church of St Mary Magdalene. The first town hall in Woolwich was built in around 1839, but was almost immediately sold to the Metropolitan Police. A second town hall was built in 1842. This building was initially shared with Woolwich County Court. In 1855 the Metropolis Management Act provided every parish in the metropolitan area with its own local administration. In 1889 the parish of Woolwich became part of the newly formed

County of London The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government A ...

and in 1900 the

was formed from the parishes of Woolwich, Plumstead and

Eltham Eltham ( ) is a district of southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The three wards of E ...

. This prompted the construction of a larger and more representative town hall, although the old town hall still survives. Construction on the current building, the third town hall, started in 1903. New buildings for the County and

Magistrates' Court A magistrates' court is a lower court where, in several jurisdictions, all criminal proceedings start. Also some civil matters may be dealt with here, such as family proceedings. Courts * Magistrates' court (England and Wales) * Magistrate's Cou ...

, as well as a new police station and the existing library, formed a small administrative quarter. The architect,

Alfred Brumwell Thomas Sir Alfred Brumwell Thomas (24 February 1868 – 22 January 1948) was an English architect who trained at Westminster School of Art and became an exponent of the Baroque Revival, a style of architecture prevalent for public buildings in the early ...

, apparently submitted an earlier design, rejected in a 1902 competition for

Deptford Town Hall Deptford Town Hall is a municipal building in New Cross Road, Deptford, London. It is a Grade II listed building. History The building was commissioned to replace the aging vestry hall of St Paul's. The site selected had previously been occupi ...

. The construction was undertaken by Messrs J E Johnson & Son at a cost of £80,000. The official opening of the town hall took place, without royal presence at the insistence of Woolwich Council, in January 1906. Instead Labour MP

Will Crooks William Crooks (6 April 1852 – 5 June 1921) was a noted trade unionist and politician from Poplar, London, and a member of the Fabian Society. He is particularly remembered for his campaigning work against poverty and inequality. Early life ...

did the opening speech, while the first

bishop of Woolwich The Bishop of Woolwich is an episcopal title used by an area bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Southwark, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name after Woolwich, a suburb of the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Tw ...

, John Leeke blessed the building. Between 1929 and 1930 a small annexe was added in Polytechnic Street. Across Wellington Street the Municipal Offices were built in the 1930s. The Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich was abolished in 1965 and largely merged with Greenwich (a small section north of the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

went to the London Borough of Newham). Woolwich Town Hall became the seat of local government of the new

London Borough of Greenwich The Royal Borough of Greenwich (, , or ) is a London borough in southeast Greater London. The London Borough of Greenwich was formed in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. The new borough covered the former area of the Metropolitan Borough ...

. Peggy Middleton House, which had provided extra office space in Woolwich New Road since 1977, was demolished in 2009. File:2015 London-Woolwich, Polytechnic St, Town Hall annexe.jpg, Woolwich Town Hall Annexe File:Peggy Middleton House - geograph.org.uk - 971993.jpg, Peggy Middleton House File:London, Woolwich-Centre, Wellington St, Woolwich Centre01.jpg, The Woolwich Centre

Architecture

Exterior

Woolwich Town Hall was designed by the architect

, who more or less simultaneously worked on (more ambitious) plans for

Belfast City Hall Belfast City Hall ( ga, Halla na Cathrach Bhéal Feirste; Ulster-Scots: ''Bilfawst Citie Haw'') is the civic building of Belfast City Council located in Donegall Square, Belfast, Northern Ireland. It faces North and effectively divides the comm ...

(1898–1906) and

Stockport Town Hall Stockport Town Hall is a building in Stockport, England, that houses the government and administrative functions of Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. Stockport Town Hall is a Grade II* listed building. History The building, which was de ...

(1905–1908). It is a fine example of

in the London area. The building has two monumental façades along Wellington Street and Market Street. The Wellington Street façade features an imposing entrance of Portland stone with a

colonnade In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or cur ...

and "broken"

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedim ...

s. The other entrance on Market Street is decorated with military and maritime symbols. The Italianate clock tower, on the corner of the two streets, is 40 m tall. The six domes, four made of copper, that make up the roof can be seen from afar. File:2015 London-Woolwich, Town Hall 09.jpg, Wellington Street entrance File:London, Woolwich-Centre, Market St, Woolwich Town hall2.jpg, Market Street entrance File:London-Woolwich, Market St, Town hall & Woolwich Centre.jpg, Market Street façade File:London-Woolwich, Market St, Town hall tower02.jpg, Detail clocktower

Interior

The Wellington Street entrance leads directly into Victoria Hall. This large space is dominated by a tall marble statue of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

by F. W. Pomeroy, a stone copy of the bronze Statue of Queen Victoria in Chester. On both sides of the stairs bronze

World War II 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 ...

memorial plaques were placed. The hall is also used for exhibitions and for counting votes during elections. In the centre of the building, accessed via the Market Street entrance, is the Public Hall, seating 750 people. The hall has a large dome that provides daylight. Stained-glass windows throughout the building depict historic events in the parishes of Woolwich, Plumstead and Eltham, for example the entertaining of three foreign kings in Eltham Palace in 1374, the launching of the ship ''

Henry Grace à Dieu ''Henry Grace à Dieu'' ("Henry, Thanks be to God"), also known as ''Great Harry'', was an English carrack or " great ship" of the King's Fleet in the 16th century, and in her day the largest warship in the world. Contemporary with '' Mary Ros ...

'' at

Woolwich Dockyard Woolwich Dockyard (formally H.M. Dockyard, Woolwich, also known as The King's Yard, Woolwich) was an English naval dockyard along the river Thames at Woolwich in north-west Kent, where many ships were built from the early 16th century until th ...

in 1514, and portraits of

Thomas More Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry VIII as Lord ...

Margaret Roper Margaret Roper (1505–1544) was an English writer and translator. Roper, the eldest daughter of Sir Thomas More, is considered to have been one of the most learned women in sixteenth-century England. She is celebrated for her filial piety and sch ...

and Samuel Pepys. The windows date from 1904 and are the work of

Geoffrey Webb Geoffrey Fairbank Webb CBE (9 May 1898 – 17 July 1970) was a British art historian, Slade Professor of Fine Art and head of the Monuments and Fine Arts section of the Allied Control Commission during World War II. Early life Webb was born in ...

. Elsewhere in the building fine woodcarving and plasterwork can be admired.Saint & Guillery, p. 266
online text, p. 32
. File:2015 London-Woolwich, interior Town Hall 20.jpg, Victoria Hall File:2015 London-Woolwich, interior Town Hall 15.jpg, Staircase and statue File:2015 London-Woolwich, interior Town Hall 37.jpg, Stained-glass window File:2015 London-Woolwich, interior Town Hall 31.jpg, Council Room

References

Sources

* {{Commonscat, Woolwich Town Hall Government buildings completed in 1906 City and town halls in London Grade II* listed buildings in the Royal Borough of Greenwich Grade II* listed government buildings Government buildings with domes Woolwich 1906 establishments in England