light more power

94 Pages·2017·14.06 MB·English

MORE LIGHT
MORE POWER
SHOREDITCH TOWN HALL
1849 1855
CHOLERA EPIDEMIC IN METROPOLITAN
LONDON. 899 DIED IN MANAGEMENT ACT GAVE
SHOREDITCH NEW POWERS AND
DUTIES TO LONDON
VESTRIES - OPENS A
NEW ERA IN SHOREDITCH
OF PROGRESSIVE
REFORMING LOCAL
GOVERNMENT
1851 1863
POPULATION OF SUB-COMMITTEE OF
SHOREDITCH 109,257 SHOREDITCH VESTRY
FORMED TO OVERSEE
CONSTRUCTION OF
NEW TOWN HALL
1861
SHOREDITCH POPULATION
PEAKS AT 129,364
2 S H O R E D I T C H T O W N H A L L 1 5 0 Y E A R S
THE MUNICIPAL
PRINCIPLE
[... Shoreditch Town Hall will be for]
… discussions of subjects of Local
and National importance, for the
free expression of opinion upon
the political, and social, questions
of the day: and likewise to afford
means for instructions and
amusements by Lectures, Concerts
and Entertainments… (we) hope
and not unreasonably anticipate
that the use of the edifce may tend
to further develop, strengthen and
perpetuate the municipal principle,
and to secure to the Metropolis,
the advantages of Local Self-
Government for Centuries to Come.
THE SHOREDITCH VESTRY, CIRCA 1860
5 S H O R E D I T C H T O W N H A L L 1 5 0 Y E A R S
1888
12 NOVEMBER: 1898 1904
THE INQUEST INTO THE WORK BEGINS 15 AUGUST:
MURDER OF MARY KELLY, ON EXTENSION TO TOWN FIRE DESTROYS ASSEMBLY
LAST VICTIM OF THE RIPPER, HALL DESIGNED BY HALL. THE NEW
HELD AT SHOREDITCH WILLIAM G HUNT EXTENSION IS BUILT
VESTRY HALL (SEE PAGES 12-13) (SEE PAGE 24)
1866
OUTBREAK OF
CHOLERA IN SHOREDITCH
CONTAINED BY INNOVATIVE
WORK OF DR BARNES
1897 1910
SHOREDITCH REFUSE THE TOWN HALL
DESTRUCTOR OPENED. WORKS IN PARTNERSHIP
NEWS OF THIS WITH OTHER
INNOVATIVE WORK SHOREDITCH BODIES
SPREADS ACROSS THE TO SUPPORT
WORLD. SHOREDITCH THE COMMUNITY
PRAISED AS A
‘MODEL VESTRY’
BY LORD ROSEBURY
(SEE PAGES 18 & 19) 1900
SHOREDITCH BOROUGH
COUNCIL CREATED.
ADOPTS THE MOTTO
‘MORE LIGHT
1880S MORE POWER’.
SHOREDITCH TOWN
HALL IS A MAJOR VENUE
FOR MUSIC HALL
1943
1913 SHOREDITCH BOROUGH
SYLVIA PANKHURST ADOPTS SUBMARINE 1965 1997
ARRESTED AT THE ‘THRASHER’ AS PART SHOREDITCH COUNCIL SHOREDITCH TOWN HALL
TOWN HALL OF WW2 FUNDRAISING MERGES WITH HACKNEY TRUST CREATED TO SAVE
(SEE PAGES 50-51) (SEE PAGES 56-57) (SEE PAGES 68-71) THE BUILDING
1990 2004
WHIRL-Y-GIG BUILDING
NIGHTCLUB RUNS AT REOPENS TO THE PUBLIC
SHOREDITCH TOWN HALL AS AN INDEPENDENT
UNTIL LATE 1990’S EVENTS AND
COMMUNITY SPACE
TOWN HALL 1955 1996 2012
IS AT THE CENTRE 22 SEPTEMBER: TOWN HALL IS PLACED A NEW PHASE –
OF COMMUNITY SHOREDITCH TAKES PART ON LIST OF ‘BUILDINGS SHOREDITCH TOWN HALL
LIFE, HOSTING IN LAUNCH BROADCAST OF AT RISK’ BY ENGLISH ESTABLISHES ITSELF
WEDDINGS, DANCES ITV WITH THE FIRST EVER HERITAGE AS A DESTINATION
& PUBLIC EVENTS TELEVISED BOXING MATCH. ARTS AND LIVE
THIS IS THE FIRST MATCH EVENTS VENUE
AT SHOREDITCH AND LEADS
TO 20 YEARS OF HOSTING
FIGHTS IN THE TOWN HALL
(SEE PAGES 58-59)
4
INTRODUCTION
THIS BOOK HAS BEEN CREATED TO CELEBR ATE
150 YEARS OF SHOREDITCH TOWN HALL.
hile we have always known something of the building’s history,
especially key moments, I have always been very conscious that
W there were signifcant gaps in our knowledge. There were stories
still to unearth and there had never before been a single source or history
produced dedicated solely to the Town Hall. For example, we had never
seen a photograph of boxing actually taking place in the Assembly Hall,
despite what a major part of our history this was. We didn’t know how the
Council Chamber would have looked when it operated as the centre of local
democracy, nor what happened at that point when the London Borough of
Shoreditch ceased to exist as an independent authority and was merged
with Hackney; did the Councillors all just walk away? The 150th anniversary
has, therefore, provided a fantastic opportunity to address this defcit, spend
some time delving into our past, and ultimately tell a more complete and
colourful story of the building. A particular highlight has been talking to
people today who have very personal or family connections with the Town
Hall, from its beginnings as one of the grandest Vestry Halls of its time,
through music hall and boxing, to its contemporary life today as a
successful arts and events venue.
The building is a great survivor. A huge fre in 1904 nearly destroyed it and
neglect in the 1980s and 1990s in particular led to its inclusion on the English
Heritage ‘Buildings At Risk’ Register. It has withstood two World Wars, some
of the most rapid urban development and population change in London
and times of enormous social and political upheavals of every kind. It has
endured the relentless traffc of a busy main artery road to its front and trains
pounding up and down its eastern fank. The world has quite literally swirled
and reformed around its walls with a dizzying speed that has intensifed in
the last quarter-century, as Shoreditch has become a modern, fashionable
destination. Yet despite all of this, the Town Hall stands solid. There is not a
6 S H O R E D I T C H T O W N H A L L 1 5 0 Y E A R S
single structural crack nor hint of subsidence – evidence of the fact it was
very much built to last. This, combined with the passion of the community
who were determined to save it, and a healthy dose of luck, mean today it is
able to thrive as an independent venue; an example of how a truly wonderful
example of Victorian architecture can be preserved and honoured at the
same time as being vibrant and alive with new activity rather than purely
a monument to the past.
It has been the greatest privilege of my career to be a custodian of such a
wonderful building and to have the opportunity to continue its restoration, as
well as establish a new life for it as an arts venue. I feel that something of the
passion and commitment of those Victorian Vestry men and women who built
the Town Hall inevitably found its way into the fabric of the building, into its
bricks and mortar - a friendly presence coming with us on our journey. If the
ghosts of the burghers of Shoreditch do inhabit the building I hope they’re
happy to see it cared for, loved and as full of life today as it ever was in the
past - being discovered and enjoyed by new generations. Key to what I hope
we’ve achieved in the last fve years is that a building that had ‘entertainments
and amusements’ at its heart from the outset, but was for so long quiet and
empty, is today once again welcoming thousands of people through its doors
every year to experience theatre, music, events and live performance. Its rooms
and spaces are regularly all in use simultaneously. Whether it is with the motto
‘More Light, More Power’ throughout or the statue of Progress dominating the
façade, we’re conscious of the gauntlet the building throws down to us every
day - to keep moving, keep exploring, keep striving to fnd new and exciting
ways the building can come alive or be enjoyed. Above all, to ensure that it is
still here to be enjoyed and reinvented by future generations, as a continuing,
vital part of the life of Shoreditch & Hackney and a unique example of a golden
age of civic pride and progressive local government in the UK.
NICK GILES
Director, Shoreditch Town Hall Trust
7
THE FIRST VESTRY HALL
1865
A lithograph by the architect Caesar Augustus Long.
Courtesy of the London Borough of Hackney Archives - see page 93 for full list of credits.
8 S H O R E D I T C H T O W N H A L L 1 5 0 Y E A R S
9
“THE COMMITTEE HAVE CONCLUDED IT NECESSARY THAT THE
DESIGN SHOULD BE SUCH AS WOULD INDICATE THE PUBLIC
CHAR ACTER OF THE EDIFICE, NOT EXTR AVAGANTLY ORNAMENTED
BUT OF A SUBSTANTIAL AND DUR ABLE CHAR ACTER.”
SHOREDITCH VESTRY BRIEF FOR THEIR NEW TOWN HALL, 1865.
Vestry Halls built in the 1860s and 70s with lesser budgets
were criticised for their almost unison adoption of red brick with Portland
stone dressings… At Shoreditch, however, the determination
of the Vestry Board to invest in quality from the outset has produced
a building of distinction. The Town Hall is a prominent landmark –
which sets the tone for a superior landscape.”
EDDIE BOOTH
Chairman, The Institute of Historic Building Conservation
What ultimately distinguishes Shoreditch Town Hall from its worthy
competitors is its tough, urban quality. Though the trams, carts and
omnibuses are long gone, Old Street still bristles with trafc and the trains
still boom by on the elevated line, from the town and into the suburbs near
and far. The architecture stands up to this remarkably well.”
DR CHRIS MIELE
Architectural Historian, essay on Shoreditch Town Hall,
Hackney Histories Volume 4
Very sadly, C. A. Long’s plans for the original 1865 Vestry Hall cannot be located
and are presumed lost or destroyed. All that remains are his original lithograph
(on page 8) and watercolour of the Council Chamber (opposite).
10 S H O R E D I T C H T O W N H A L L 1 5 0 Y E A R S