Hornsey Town Hall

Hornsey Town Hall is a public building in Crouch End area of Hornsey, London. Completed in 1935, it was the first major UK building to be constructed in the Modernist style. Designed by New Zealand born architect Reginald Uren in 1933–35, the building shows the influence of Hilversum town hall in the Netherlands and was awarded a bronze medal by the Royal Institute of British Architects. It has Grade II* Listed status. The building was used by Hornsey Borough Council as its headquarters until 1966.

When the former area of the Municipal Borough of Hornsey became part of the London Borough of Haringey most of the administrative functions were re-located at Wood Green. As a result, the building has fallen into disrepair, although steps are being taken to find a new use for the building.

It is often used as a location for films and TV.

Hornsey became a parish in around 1300. This heavily wooded area contained farms and villas, one of which was Crouch Hall, probably built in 1681 at the crossroads of what came to be known as Crouch End. By 1808 the present Town Hall site housed the non-conformist Broadway Chapel, two cottages, an alley and the long low Lake Villa, the gable end of which faced the Broadway. In 1827 the pond by the roadside was filled in. The buildings in front of Lake Villa gradually became shops.

The 1835 Municipal Corporations Act had created 178 corporate boroughs in England and Wales. Corporations were to be elected directly by ratepayers, hold open council meetings and maintain audited accounts. This eventually led to the construction of significant Town Halls in industrial cities like Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds. The Metropolis Management Act of 1855 began a process that changed the way London was administered, creating local boards.

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