The Old Town Hall, Staines

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.

"[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).

Photograph, caption, and commentary by Jacqueline Banerjee.

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