Former Town Hall, The Mall, Ealing. Grade II listed building designed by Charles Jones (1830-1913). 1877. Kentish ragstone with a slate roof. This sturdy two-storey building has some attractive features: a tower with a nicely detailed mansard roof and finials on the right, above the main entrance; a central bay window at ground floor level; and a gabled wing to the left, balancing the tower. Jones had a fine grasp of what is now called "fitness for purpose," and there is also a small entrance on the right of the main entrance, to "ancilliary offices" (listing text). The building looks sturdy partly because of its "chunky French details," and already shows not only Jones's practicality, but some architectural distinction, being "more daring than most suburban municipal buildings of this date" (Cherry and Pevsner 175). This was the first of the "Queen of the suburb's" new public offices, soon to be outgrown as Ealing's population rocketed with the arrival of the District Railway commuter line in 1879 (see White). The premises are now occupied by a bank, and the interior has been adapted accordingly.
Photograph and text by Jacqueline Banerjee. Click on the image for a larger picture. [You may use the image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL or cite it in a print one.]
Sources
Cherry, Bridget, and Nikolaus Pevsner. London 3: North West. The Buildings of England series. New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 2002. Print.
"National Westminster Bank." British Listed Buildings. Web. 8 March 2013.
White, John Foster. "Ealing: Queen of the Suburbs: A Guided Walk." Ealing Civic Society. Web. 8 March 2013.
Last modified 8 March 2013