| Summary : A council house and adjacent fire station, built in 1934-5 for Willenhall Urban District Council, which was abolished and absorbed into Walsall Council in 1966. The building effectively became redundant at that time, though the ground floor is used by 2010 as a public library. It is broadly neo-Georgian in style, by an unknown architect. The building, constructed from brick with stone dressings, under a hipped slate roof, is of seven bays and two storeys, the central three bays with a raised parapet, breaking forward slightly; the central entrance bay has a round arched doorway with an oriel window above. All the windows are multi-paned metal casements with decorative aprons, those flanking the entrance bay with round arched heads. To the west, a set-back range formerly housing the fire station is of two bays, in a similar style; the ground floor vehicle entrance has late 20th century glazing and porch. It has a further extension to its west in a plain, Moderne-inspired style. The ground floor of both ranges houses a public library, and the council chamber occupies the first floor of the main range. |
More information : Willenhall Council House, incorporating the council house and adjacent fire station, was built in 1934-5 for Willenhall Urban District Council, which was abolished and absorbed into Walsall Council in 1966. The building effectively became redundant at that time, though the ground floor is now in use as a public library and museum.
The Council House is broadly neo-Georgian in style, by an unknown architect. The building, constructed from brick with stone dressings, under a hipped slate roof, is of seven bays and two storeys, the central three bays with a raised parapet, breaking forward slightly; the central entrance bay has a round arched doorway with an oriel window above. All the windows are multi-paned metal casements with decorative aprons, those flanking the entrance bay with round arched heads. To the west, a set-back range formerly housing the fire station is of two bays, in a similar style; the ground floor vehicle entrance has late 20th century glazing and porch. It has a further extension to its west in a plain, Moderne-inspired style. The ground floor of both ranges houses a public library, and the council chamber occupies the first floor of the main range. The stair to the first floor is at the rear of the building, and has loosely Art Deco inspired balustrades; the flooring is terrazzo. The building retains original joinery and coloured glass. The council chamber has a coffered ceiling and heavy oak panelling to half-height, and a wood-block floor; the raised dais has panelling to the front. Otherwise the furnishings are not fitted.
As stated in the Principles of Selection for Listed Buildings (March 2010) and in common with all buildings considered for designation, those council houses and town halls which date from after 1840 are subject to more stringent criteria, given the large numbers of such buildings which were erected and the increasing standardisation of materials and design which occurred in this period. For council houses and town halls of the inter-war period, greater survival rates demand rigorous selection: architectural interest is the principal determinant in assessing modern examples across the range. Because the projection of a confident municipal image was so important, the quality and finesse of architectural style is of great significance.
The council house at Willenhall is in a broadly neo-Georgian style, though in common with most civic buildings of this style and period, a number of details from other styles were incorporated, in particular some echoes of Art Deco or Moderne design. The exterior design, though imposing, is staid and rather pedestrian, and is quite old-fashioned by this date, having been is use since the early years of the century; some of the more interesting civic buildings of this period took their inspiration from the Moderne style of Scandinavia and the Netherlands, for instance. In addition, despite some neat detailing, the building does not have the level of embellishment, in the use of sculpture or applied decoration, which might set it apart from its many peers. The conversion of the vehicle hall of the former fire station has resulted in a rather unfortunate and unsympathetic closing of the former vehicle entrance with glazed and solid elements, which badly damages the coherence of the original façade. Internally, though the building remains largely unaltered and mostly intact, the quality of the design is not of the high level required to merit designation in the national context: the stair balustrades are of a type commonly used in public buildings of this date, and although they make a nod towards Art Deco style, are in a watered down style which does not make a bold impact. Similarly, though the furnishings of the council chamber are complete, they are unremarkable in their design, and only a small proportion of them form fixed elements of the building; the remainder are not fixed, and so are ineligible for listing, and cannot contribute to the building¿s claims to special interest.
In the national context, Willenhall Council House does not compare well with listed examples, such as Stoke Newington¿s municipal buildings in London (J Reginald Truelove, 1935-7, Listed Grade II), which demonstrates much greater quality in architectural style, bold composition, highly detailed stone carving to the exterior, and a highly embellished interior of clear quality. By comparison with this and a number of other listed council houses and town halls of the period, Willenhall is not of sufficient interest to merit designation in the national context, though it is of undoubted local interest for its place within the history of the town, and as part of a small complex of municipal buildings. Its significance is appropriately reflected in its inclusion on the local list. (1)
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