Saving London - English Heritage

Shoreditch Town hall
Old Street, Hackney
Listed Grade II
i www.shoreditchtownhall.org.uk
21
Shoreditch Town Hall shows how civic buildings can find a
new lease of life in mixed use retaining them as community
assets while generating essential income. It exemplifies the
responsible disposal of an historic public asset where the
local authority placed the long-term interests of the listed
building above short-term capital receipts
Built as Shoreditch Vestry Hall in 1866,
but greatly extended and enlarged in
1902, this former town hall exemplifies
the burgeoning late 19th-century civic
pride which created some of our finest
public buildings, boasting a fine classical
stone frontage and a suite of ornate
rooms including a vast public hall with
gilded decoration. It ceased use as
a town hall on the formation of the
Greater London Council in 1965 when
the Borough of Shoreditch became
part of Hackney. While remaining in
council use for some years, major repair
costs had accrued and the building was
vacated. Strong local desire to keep
the building in community use led to
the formation of the Shoreditch Town
Hall Trust, which acquired the building
on a peppercorn lease, including a
large 1930s annexe, the sale of which
helped fund the repair of the main
building. The first phase of renovation
to enable the building to stay open
has been completed with Heritage
Lottery Funding and other grant aid.
It is now a thriving venue for arts and
community events, as well as space for
commercial hire.
English Heritage Saving London