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Westminster City Hall is a municipal building in Victoria Street in
In the late 19th century the parishes of St Margaret and St John held their meetings at the old Westminster Town Hall in Caxton Street. However, after the enlarged Metropolitan Borough of Westminster was formed in 1900, civic leaders decided the Caxton Street building was inadequate for their needs, and decided to find larger facilities; they selected an existing building in Charing Cross Road which had been designed by Robert Walker and completed in 1890. The Charing Cross Road building, which adjoined the
Westminster
Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster.
The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...
, London. It is the headquarters of Westminster City Council
Westminster City Council is the local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London, England. The city is divided into 20 wards, each electing three councillors. The council is currently composed of 31 Labour Party members and 23 Cons ...
.
History
In the late 19th century the parishes of St Margaret and St John held their meetings at the old Westminster Town Hall in Caxton Street. However, after the enlarged Metropolitan Borough of Westminster was formed in 1900, civic leaders decided the Caxton Street building was inadequate for their needs, and decided to find larger facilities; they selected an existing building in Charing Cross Road which had been designed by Robert Walker and completed in 1890. The Charing Cross Road building, which adjoined the Garrick Theatre
The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play, ' ...
, was renamed 'Westminster City Hall' and enlarged to meet the administrative requirements of the council in 1902.
In the early 1960s, in anticipation of the impending further enlargement of the council's area, civic leaders again decided they needed larger facilities; the site they selected formed part of a larger development by Land Securities
Land Securities Group plc is the largest commercial property development and investment company in the United Kingdom. The firm became a real estate investment trust (REIT) when REITs were introduced in the United Kingdom in January 2007. It is ...
on a site previously occupied by Prince's Mansions in Victoria Street. The proposed development was a high, 20-storey glass tower, designed by Burnet Tait & Partners in the modern style
The Modern Style is a style of architecture, art, and design that first emerged in the United Kingdom in the mid-1880s. It is the first Art Nouveau style worldwide, and it represents the evolution of the Arts and Crafts movement which was native ...
, which was built by Taylor Woodrow Construction
Taylor Woodrow Construction, branded as Taylor Woodrow, is a UK-based civil engineering contractor and one of four operating divisions of Vinci Construction UK. The business was launched in 2011, combining civil engineering operations from the ...
. The enlarged City of Westminster was formed in March 1965, shortly before the completion of the new town hall in April 1965.
Initially, Westminster City Council only used the 20th floor, but gradually expanded to take the whole building. The principal rooms were the Mayor's parlour on the 19th floor and the committee rooms on the 18th floor, which were used for cabinet meetings as well as committee meetings.
The building was stripped back to a concrete shell during an extensive refurbishment between 2017 and 2019.
Notes
References
{{reflist Buildings and structures in the City of Westminster City and town halls in London Government buildings completed in 1965