1900 - Chiswick Town Hall - Heathfield Terrace, London, UK - Dated Buildings and Cornerstones on Waymarking.com

Wikipedia has an article about Chiswick Town Hall that tells us:

Chiswick Town Hall stands on Heathfield Terrace, Chiswick, London, W4 4JN, facing Turnham Green.

The Town Hall has a Council Chamber, Committee Room, various offices, and two halls. The Main Hall is approximately 18.2 x 10.3 metres in front of a full width stage, and the Hogarth Hall is approximately 12.0 x 8.6 metres in front of a part-width stage.

With the changes in local government, Chiswick is now a part of the London Borough of Hounslow, and the Town Hall is no longer the centre of local government. However, a Citizens Advice Bureau is located in the Town Hall, as are a small number of council services.

The Town Hall is used by various local groups on a regular basis, and for occasional events such as concerts and antiques fairs. Both the front of the Hall and its interior are also used from time to time by television film crews.

The building is Grade II listed with the entry at the Historic England website telling us:

Former Town Hall, now council offices. 1876 by W J Trehearne, extended to east and west in 1900-1 by Arthur Ramsden.

Stock brick with Bath stone dressings, quoins, cornice and porte cochère. Slate roof. Original building a symmetrical composition of three bays with central porte cochère, leading through double-height entrance hall to assembly hall and supper room with council chamber over. Secondary staircase hall in later three-bay range to east (in identical style). Two storeys and (tiny) attics. Main range with round arched windows to first floor, square windows under cornice brackets to ground floor, all of them paired except for tripartite composition over panelled double entrance doors in round-arched stone surround. Porte cochère with grouped Corinthian columns set on square bases, round-arched openings with carved spandrels and stone balustrade. Deeply moulded modillion eaves cornice with balustraded parapet, pediments over main and secondary entrances. Side elevation to Sutton Court Road of 1900-1 a symmetrical tripartite composition with central entrance between four-bay ranges under pediments. The window pattern is reversed, with round arches on the ground floor and square windows on the first floor.

Richly decorated interior. Double-height entrance hall with tiled dado, imperial staircase with iron balustrades. Oak panels (1911) commemorate Ramsden's extension. This and the corridors beyond have colourful terrazzo floors. Behind, large assembly hall, formerly the Devonshire Hall, of seven bays with round-arched arcades under keystones and heavy dentilled cornice, stage with console brackets forming proscenium, coved top-lit ceiling. Balcony with elaborate cast-iron balustrade. Side entrance in Sutton Court Road has double doors with coloured glass, also coloured glass in fanlight, leading to paybox for hall. On other side is the supper room or Hogarth Room, with smaller, lower stage with similar cornice bracket proscenium. Pilasters to walls, trabeated ceiling, mahogany double doors to side lobby. These lead to dark but richly decorated side lobby, with marble dado and fireplace, and bust of Hogarth. Coloured glass toplights. Staircase with fat marble balustrade ascends to council chamber. Entrance to this lined in lincrusta, with coloured glass toplights and in double doors. Council chamber simpler, a five-bay chamber whose one-bay balcony has elaborate, polished, carved wood front. Open timber truss rafter roof coloured glass in gables. Mayoral and committee rooms now used as offices, reached off corridors lined with succulent green tiles. Included as an unusually lavish example of a town hall, with a good array of decorated public spaces.

A Bing bird's eye view of the town hall can be seen here.

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