Crawley Town Hall is a municipal structure in The Boulevard, Crawley, West Sussex, England. It was completed in 2023 and serves as the headquarters of Crawley Borough Council.
History
Following significant population growth associated with the development of the new town, Crawley became an urban district in 1956.[1] The new council leaders decided to commission a town hall and acquired a site on the north side of The Boulevard from Crawley Development Corporation in May 1958. The building was designed by Max Clendinning of Brown Henson & Partners in the Brutalist style, built in concrete and glass and was officially opened by the Secretary of State for Education and Science, Michael Stewart on 14 November 1964.[2]
The design of the old town hall involved a six-storey block which was canted forward over the main entrance and also extended to the rear behind the front elevation. It was attached to the east, via a long low-rise connecting block, to an auditorium known as the "Civic Hall". The complex was faced with alternating bands of concrete and windows. The principal room in the town hall was the council chamber, which was furnished in a minimalist style. The rock band, The Who, performed in the civic hall in April 1965.[3][4]
In February 2017, council leaders decided that the old complex was no longer fit-for-purpose and, despite a petition to save it,[5] they initiated demolition of the complex in January 2020.[6][7] They also signed a contract for a new town hall to be erected on the site of the old civic hall. Construction on the new building began in spring 2020.[8][9]
The new building was designed by Cartwright Pickard in the International Style, built by Kier Group in concrete and glass.[10][11] The design involved a nine-storey square-shaped building: the lower storeys were reserved for municipal use while the upper storeys made available for commercial tenants.[12] At the southwest corner of the building, the lower two floors were recessed to create an entrance and a large carving of the borough coat of arms was installed there in August 2022.[13] The new building was formally opened on 21 March 2023.[14]
References
- ^ "Crawley UD". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
- ^ "Crawley New Town". Crawley Encyclopedia. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
- ^ "Crawley Civic Hall". The Who Concert Guide. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
- ^ Neill, Andrew; Kent, Matthew (2009). Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere: The Complete Chronicle of the WHO 1958–1978. Sterling Publishing Company. p. 305. ISBN 978-1402766916.
- ^ "Stop the demolition of Crawley Town Hall". 38 Degrees. Archived from the original on 28 May 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
- ^ "Town Hall". Invest Crawley. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
- ^ "Demolition of Crawley town hall begins". 22 January 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
- ^ "Crawley's new Town Hall: Why is it called The Create Building? When it be completed?". Sussex Express. 22 June 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
- ^ "£150m Crawley town centre regeneration scheme underway". PBC Today. 14 January 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
- ^ "Contractor appointed to Crawley Town Hall development". 20 January 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
- ^ "Crawley Borough Council install new town hall sign as building moves closer to completion". Sussex Express. 1 August 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
- ^ "Kier set to build Crawley new town hall". Construction Enquirer. 14 January 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
- ^ "New Crawley Borough crest brings the Town Hall one step closer to completion". Crawley Town Centre Bid. 25 August 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
- ^ "Crawley's New Town Hall is officially opened". Sussex World. 22 March 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2023.