Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Grade II* listed building. Main construction periods 1836 to 1883. Town hall (19thc). Second World War air raid siren on the roof of the Old Town Hall, High Street, Gravesend. This was part of the arrangements to warn the community of an approaching air raid and to give the all-clear. It was probably installed in 1939 and would have been decommissioned in 1945. The siren was removed post-war, perhaps by 1946.

Summary from record TQ 67 SW 1320:

Second World War Civil Defence Control Centre at the former early 19th century Police Station in a suite of rooms at the Old Town Hall in the High Street, Gravesend. This was for the coordination of rescue and other emergency services within Gravesend, in the event of an air raid. It appears to have been established by around May1939 and to have continued until 1941. The nature of any adaptation to the premises is unknown. There is nothing obvious to be seen today. The premises are now used as a local history museum.

Monument Types

• TOWN HALL (Post Medieval to Modern - 1836 AD to 2050 AD)
• CIVIL DEFENCE BUILDING (Modern - 1939 AD? to 1941 AD?)

Full description

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Description from record TQ 67 SW 81:
(TQ 647847428 - sited from HHR map) 5277 HIGH STREET (East Side) The Town Hall TQ 6474 SE 1/5 23.1.52. II* 2. This building was erected in 1836 on the site of the earlier Town Hall designed by C Sloane in 1764. It cost #3,000 and was built by the Brighton Architect, Amon Henry Wilds, in imitation of the Parthenon at Athens. Sandstone ashlar. The front has a massive tetrastyle portico of fluted Doric columns with triglyph frieze and small shields of the Arms of Gravesend Borough in the metopes. Pedime above, originally surmounted by the figures of Minerva, Justice and Truth but these were removed in 1949. 3 windows beneath the portico at 1st floor level. On the ground floor 1 window and a wide entrance to an open passage which leads to the Market behind the Town Hall. Recessed portion on each side of the portico containing 1 triple window on ground and 1st floors with pilasters between the lights. The south ground floor window is now blocked. Triglyph frieze and parap above these flanking portions.. Glazing bars intact. Over the portico is the inscription:- "Rebuilt 1836 in the Mayoralties of M Troughton and R Oakes Esquire A H Wilds Architect", and over the entrance to the passage:- Re-constructed during the Mayoralty of George H Edmonds Esq 1882-3". The inside was further altered in 1898. (1) The sandstone front of 1836 is by Amon Henry Wilds, whose noble Greek Doric tetrastyle portico makes no concession at all to the narrowness of the street. An archway under the portico leads past mean brick back parts of 1895 to a covered market. (2)

Polygon added around extent of town hall buildings, derived from maps in conservation plan [3]

Description from record TQ 67 SW 1301:
Second World War air raid siren mounted on the roof of the Old Town Hall, High Street in Gravesend. This was part of the arrangements to warn the community of an approaching air raid and to give the all-clear once the raiders had passed. There was a control unit on the ground floor of the Town Hall. The siren was probably installed in 1939 and appears to have been placed behind the top of the classical pediment of the Town Hall. It would have been decommissioned by the end of the Second World War in Europe in 1945. The siren was subsequently removed at an uncertain date post-war but perhaps in 1946. It is not known whether its fixings survive.
Owner : Public
Publicly accessible : No
How accessed for survey : The roof area is off-limits and the place of mounting not visible from the street.
Tourism Potential : None
Condition : unknown
Date of visit : 26/02/06

Description from record TQ 67 SW 1320:
Second World War Civil defence Control Centre at the former early 19th century Police Station in a suite of rooms at the Old Town Hall in the High Street, Gravesend. This was for the coordination of rescue and other emergency services within Gravesend, in the event of an air raid. It appears to have been established by around May 1939 and to have continued until 1941. The nature of any adaptation to the premises is unknown and there is nothing obvious remaining to be seen today. It is known that the spaces between the pillars of the entrance to the Town Hall (behind which was the Police Station) were infilled with a wall of sandbags. Other sandbags were added as a separate wall behind this. The premises are now used as a local history museum.
Owner : Public
Publicly accessible : Yes
How accessed for survey : The suite of rooms used as a Civil Defence Control Centre are accessible during the opening hours of the local history museum.
Tourism Potential : For the education of visitors, the placement of an information panel inside would be helpful. It could also be included in a local defence heritage trail.
Condition : moderate
Date of visit : 01/02/06

The following text is from the original listed building designation:
1. 5277 HIGH STREET (East Side)
The Town Hall TQ 6474 SE 1/5 23.1.52.
II*
2. This building was erected in 1836 on the site of the earlier Town Hall designed by C Sloane in 1764. It cost £3,000 and was built by the Brighton Architect, Amon Henry Wilds, in imitation of the Parthenon at Athens. Sandstone ashlar. The front has a massive tetrastyle portico of fluted Doric columns with triglyph frieze and small shields of the Arms of Gravesend Borough in the metopes. Pediment above, originally surmounted by the figures of Minerva, Justice and Truth but these were removed in 1949. 3 windows beneath the portico at 1st floor level. On the ground floor 1 window and a wide entrance to an open passage which leads to the Market behind the Town Hall. Recessed portion on each side of the portico containing 1 triple window on ground and 1st floors with pilasters between the lights. The south ground floor window is now blocked. Triglyph frieze and parapet above these flanking portions. Glazing bars intact. Over the portico is the inscription: - "Rebuilt 1836 in the Mayoralties of M Troughton and R Oakes Esquires. A H Wilds Architect", and over the entrance to the passage:- Re-constructed during the Mayoralty of George H Edmonds Esq 1882-3". The inside was further altered in 1898. Listing NGR: TQ6477974271 (5)

The civil defence authority for Gravesend, Untitled and undated Second World War map of civil defence in Gravesend (Map). SKE13963.

Victor Smith, 01/01/80, Verbal Communication (Verbal communication). SKE13964.

Sydney Harker, 01/06/39, The Book of Gravesham (Barracuda Books 1979) (Bibliographic reference). SKE14020.

1975, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10840.

1979, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10841.

Alan Baxter & Associates, 2004, Gravesend Old Town Hall Conservation Plan (Draft) (Unpublished document). SKE13489.

Gravesend Council, 28/02/39, Minutes of Gravesend Council's Watch Committee (Bibliographic reference). SKE14019.

<1> DOE(HHR) Dist. of Gravesham, Kent July 1975 10 (OS Card Reference). SKE41119.

<2> The Buildings of England: West Kent and the Weald, 302 1980 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE50253.

<3> Alan Baxter Associates, Feb 2004, Gravesend Town Hall Conservation Plan (Unpublished document). SWX12869.

<4> Alan Baxter Associates, Jan 2004, Gravesend Old Town Hall Conservation Plan - Appendix D - Schedule of Condition (Unpublished document). SWX12870.

<5> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

Sources and further reading