Harlow Civic Centre is a municipal building in Harlow, a town in Essex, in England. It is the offices and meeting place of Harlow District Council.
| Harlow Civic Centre | |
|---|---|
 The building in 2023 | |
| Location | Water Gardens, Harlow |
| Coordinates | 51°46′03″N 0°05′38″E / 51.7676°N 0.0938°E |
| Built | 2004 |
| Architect | Benoy Architects |
| Architectural style(s) | Modern style |
  Shown in Essex | |
History edit
After Harlow was designated as a new town on 25 March 1947,[1] the new Harlow Development Corporation commissioned its own offices, Adams House on the east side of the Market Square. A simple, three storey office block, it was designed by a Manchester-born architect, John Graham, and completed in the early 1950s.[2]
Harlow became an urban district in 1955,[3] and the new council was initially accommodated at Netteswell Hall and Netteswell House, on Park Lane.[4] However, the new council leaders needed a permanent meeting place and the site they chose was on the south side of Cross Street in an area known as The High.[5] The new town hall was designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd in the modern style, built in concrete and was officially opened by Lord Attlee in 1960.[6][7][8] The design involved a nine-storey tower with a rooftop viewing room which was designed by John Graham.[9] Gibberd had originally wanted the tower to be at least 15 storeys high but cost constraints did not allow that.[10]
By the early 21st century, the town hall was becoming increasingly dilapidated and civic leaders decided to demolish it, and to commission a new mixed-use complex involving a retail mall and new civic offices. The site selected incorporated the footprint of the old town hall but also extended south towards a landscaped area, which contained concrete lined pools known as the Water Gardens.[11] The old town hall was demolished in 2002.[12] The Water Gardens, which contained a series of sculptures by Henry Moore, had to be severely truncated to accommodate the new development.[13][14]
The new complex was designed by Benoy Architects in the modern style,[15] built in concrete and glass and was officially opened by Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester on 19 May 2004.[16] The design involved an asymmetrical main frontage facing south onto the gardens. The civic centre was at the west end of the complex and featured a three bay rectangular portico formed by columns supporting a balcony and a series of huge louvres on the first floor. Internally, the principal room was the council chamber, located behind the louvres.[17][18] The proclamation of King Charles III was read out from the balcony on 11 September 2022.[19]
Works of art in the civic centre include a painting by André Verlon entitled "Barrage".[20]
References edit
- ^ "No. 37918". The London Gazette. 28 March 1947. p. 1451.
- ^ "John Graham Obituary". The Guardian. 25 August 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ "Harlow UD". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ "'Harlow Town', in A History of the County of Essex". London: British History Online. 1983. pp. 149–158. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ The Municipal Year Book and Public Services Directory. Municipal Publications. 1972. p. 353.
Harlow Town Hall, The High, Harlow
- ^ Gibberd, Frederick (1970). Town Design. Architectural Press. ISBN 9780851396576.
- ^ Gibberd, Frederick (1980). Harlow: the story of a new town. Publications for Companies. ISBN 9780904928112.
- ^ Reports of the Development Corporations for the Period Ending 31 March 1961. Ministry of Housing and Local Government. 1961. p. 240.
- ^ "John Graham, famous for his design and development of Harlow New Town, built Suncourt in 1960 and lived there until his death in 2021". The Evening Standard. 3 November 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
- ^ Rose, Steve (15 May 2019). "Sterile or stirring? Britain's love-hate relationship with new towns". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ "January 2002 – Harlow Water Gardens". 20th Century Society. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ "71. Screen". Harlow Sculpture Town. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ Historic England. "Water Gardens (1389446)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
- ^ Bettley, James; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2007). Essex (Buildings of England Series). Yale University Press. p. 452. ISBN 978-0300116144.
- ^ "The Water Gardens, Harlow". Wilson Bowden Developments. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ "Court Circular". The Times. 20 May 2004. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ "Council Chamber, Civic Centre". Harlow District Council. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
- ^ "Harlow Council "taken over" by St Luke's and St Albans pupils". Your Harlow. 19 November 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
- ^ "Proclamation of King Charles III is made in Harlow". Your Harlow. 11 September 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
- ^ Verlon, André. "Barrage". Art UK. Retrieved 11 May 2024.