Southall Town Hall

Southall Town hall is a municipal building in High Street, Southall, London. It has been designated a local heritage asset.[1]

Southall Town Hall
Southall Town Hall
LocationSouthall
Coordinates51.5113°N 0.3752°W / 51.5113; -0.3752
Built1898
ArchitectThomas Newall
Architectural style(s)Classical style
Shown in Ealing

History

The foundation stone for the building was laid by the Countess of Jersey on 8 November 1897.[2] The building, which was designed by Thomas Newall in the classical style, was completed in 1898.[3] It was established as the offices of the Southall-Norwood Urban District Council and went on to become headquarters of the Municipal Borough of Southall in 1936[4] but ceased to function as the local of seat of government when the enlarged London Borough of Ealing was formed in 1965.[5] It has subsequently operated as a training and enterprise centre.[6]

In April 1979, Blair Peach, a New Zealand teacher and anti-racism campaigner, died after being hit on the head, probably by a member of the Special Patrol Group (SPG), a specialist unit within the Metropolitan Police Service, during a riot outside the town hall.[7][8]

In 2017, the council decided to dispose of a long leasehold interest in the town hall to the Vishwa Hindu Kendra temple, which is based just north of the hall.[9] However, after the High Court decided that the council had acted unlawfully and unreasonably in deciding to sell the building, the council decided not to appeal.[10]

References
  1. "Southall Opportunity Area Planning Framework". Mayor of London. p. 20. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  2. "Southwall Town Hall". London Borough of Ealing. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  3. "London's Town Halls". Historic England. p. 55. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  4. Great Britain Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, Southall MB (historic map). Retrieved 4 August 2008.
  5. "Local Government Act 1963". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  6. Ali, Nasreen; Sayyid, Salman (2006). A Postcolonial People: South Asians in Britain. C Hurst & Co Publishers. p. 309. ISBN 978-1850657972.
  7. "1979: Teacher dies in Southall race riots". BBC. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  8. "Plaques part of events to mark anniversary of riot". Ealing News Extra. 13 May 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  9. "The battle to 'save Southall Town Hall' receives a major boost". My London News. 21 May 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  10. "Council won't continue fight for Southall Town Hall sale". Ealing Today. 26 September 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
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