Inventory Site Record

The Town Hall was built in 1937-39 for the newly formed Wembley borough council, following a competition won by Clifford Strange. It became Brent Town Hall when Wembley and Willesden were amalgamated in 1964. The plain brick building is set back from the main road behind a wide strip of terraced lawn, fronted by a brick wall to the pavement. Trees planted along the back of the garden include ornamental species such as Catalpa, and the lawn has island beds. To the east is an annexe with another garden area, used for weddings.

Previous / Other name:

Wembley Town Hall

Site location:

Forty Lane/The Paddocks, Wembley Park

Postcode:

HA9 9HA

What 3 Words:

format.seated.adjust

Type of site:

Public Gardens

Borough:

Brent

Open to public?

Yes

Opening times:

unrestricted

Special conditions:

Facilities:

Events:

Public transport:

Tube: Wembley Park (Jubilee, Metropolitan). Bus: 83, 182, 245, 297.

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Google Map    
streetmap.co.uk

Research updated:

01/06/2001

Last minor changes:

19/07/2023

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. www.brent.gov.uk

The Town Hall was built in 1937-39 for the newly formed Wembley Borough Council, following a competition won by the architect Clifford Strange. It became Brent Town Hall when Wembley and Willesden were amalgamated in 1964. Strange was influenced by Dutch architect W M Dudok, and the town hall and its setting was admired by Pevsner who commented on the "well planted garden to the east whose trees provide just the right foil to the plain brickwork behind". Below the entrance front on the south are terraced lawns to the pavement, with lawns, floral displays and shrubs, and axial steps up to the front entrance. North-east of the Town Hall, a small prefab Annexe has been erected on a terraced lawn; a photograph of 1939 shows this area as yet undeveloped. The garden is richly planted, with many Willows and specimen trees and is used by wedding guests. In 1948 the town hall was decorated for the Olympics with the logo, flags and banners; a photograph of the gardens in front at that time shows no trees as at present.

Sources consulted:

Bridget Cherry and Nikolaus Pevsner, 'The Buildings of England London 3: North West' (Penguin, 1999 ed), p142, Ben Weinreb & Christopher Hibbert, 'The London Encyclopaedia' (Macmillan, revised ed. 1993) p85; Len Snow 'Brent Wembley, Willesden and Kingsbury, A Pictorial History' (Phillimore, 1900); Adam Spencer, 'Wembley and Kingsbury: Britain in Old Photographs', Sutton Publishing 1995

Grid ref:

TQ198866 (519734,186704)

Size in hectares:

Site ownership:

LB Brent

Site management:

Parks Service

Date(s):

1935-40

Designer(s):

Clifford Strange

Listed structures:

LBII: Town Hall

On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens:

No

Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965:

No

Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931:

No

Local Authority Data

The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information.

On Local List:

No

In Conservation Area:

No

Tree Preservation Order:

No

Nature Conservation Area:

No

Green Belt:

No

Metropolitan Open Land:

No

Special Policy Area:

No

Other LA designation:

None

Brent Town Hall, June 2001. Photo: S Williams

Click a photo to enlarge.