The Old Town Hall, Staines, Middlesex (now a part of Surrey) by John Johnson (1807-1888)

The Old Town Hall

John Johnson (1807-1888)

1880

Staines, Middlesex (now a part of Surrey)

Since Sir John Kelk, who often used Johnson as his architect, was magistrate and deputy lieutenant for Middlesex, it seems likely that he recommended Johnson for the commission.

Photograph, caption, and commentary by Jacqueline Banerjee.

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"[W]hat a town hall!" writes Chris Howkins. "Surely this is Surrey's finest ... built in 1880 with all its classical detailing picked out in white.... The detailing gives it dignity and a certain richness yet refrains from ostentation" (163-64). Another commentator describes it in more detail as "an ornate building of white brick and stone, diversified with painted ornamentation. It has two storeys, surmounted by a steeply pitched roof behind a parapet and a central clock-tower flanked by small corner towers" (Reynolds).

Sources

Howkins, Chris. Hidden Surrey Town & Country. Newbury: Countryside, 1990.

Reynolds, Susan, ed. "Staines: An Introduction." A History of the County of Middlesex. Vol. 3. Shepperton, Staines, and so on. 1962. Viewed 28 December 2007.

"Specification of works required to be used in erecting & completing the Town Hall for the Local Board of Staines" naming Johnson as the architect, item 442 in Royal Holloway and Bedford New College's "Oliver Collection." Viewed 28 December 2007.

Last modified 1 January 2008