Limehouse Town Hall is a former town hall building on Commercial Road

Commercial Road

Commercial Road , in length, is in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of London. It runs from "Gardener's Corner" , through Stepney to the junction with Burdett Road , Limehouse from which point the route becomes the East India Dock Road...

, in Limehouse

Limehouse

Limehouse is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is on the northern bank of the River Thames opposite Rotherhithe and between Ratcliff to the west and Millwall to the east....

, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets

London Borough of Tower Hamlets

The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London borough to the east of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It is in the eastern part of London and covers much of the traditional East End. It also includes much of the redeveloped Docklands region of London, including West India Docks...

.

History

Limehouse Town Hall was built in 1879, designed by A. & C. Harston, as the vestry hall of the Limehouse District

Limehouse District (Metropolis)

Limehouse was a local government district within the metropolitan area of London, England from 1855 to 1900. It was formed by the Metropolis Management Act 1855 and was governed by the Limehouse District Board of Works, which consisted of elected vestrymen.Until 1889 the district was in the county...

. The building consists of a number of offices, below a 'grand' assembly room. In 1900, the civil parish became a part of the Metropolitan Borough of Stepney

Metropolitan Borough of Stepney

The Metropolitan Borough of Stepney was a Metropolitan borough in the County of London created in 1900. In 1965 it became part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.-Boundaries:...

. In 1965, this in turn, became part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, this then became one of a number of surplus town halls — along with Poplar Town Hall and St George's Town Hall.

On 30 July 1909 the Chancellor of the Exchequer

Chancellor of the Exchequer

The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...

 David Lloyd George

David Lloyd George

David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...

 made a polemical speech in the assembly room, attacking the House of Lords

House of Lords

The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....

 for its opposition to his "People's Budget

People's Budget

The 1909 People's Budget was a product of then British Prime Minister H. H. Asquith's Liberal government, introducing many unprecedented taxes on the wealthy and radical social welfare programmes to Britain's political life...

". This speech was the origin of the phrase "To Limehouse", or "Limehousing", which meant an incendiary political speech.

The building has seen a variety of uses since, including serving as the National Museum of Labour History; and a brief return to council administration, as the Wapping

Wapping

Wapping is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets which forms part of the Docklands to the east of the City of London. It is situated between the north bank of the River Thames and the ancient thoroughfare simply called The Highway...

 Neighbourhood Offices. It was given protection as a Grade II listed building in 1973, but was placed on English Heritage's

English Heritage

English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...

 list of buildings at risk in 2003. In October 2006 the building was given a restoration grant by English Heritage, and is in the process of being renovated as a centre for arts and culture, in particular local history projects.

The hall currently houses the Limehouse Town Hall Consortium Trust, comprising several groups, such as a Boxing Club, Space Hijackers

Space Hijackers

The Space Hijackers is a group originating in the United Kingdom that defines itself as "an international band of anarchitects who battle to save our streets, towns and cities from the evils of urban planners, architects, multinationals and other hoodlums"...

, Twenteenth Century, Primal Pictures, Stitches in Time, the University of Openness and Creative Week.

The building is next to St Anne's Limehouse

St Anne's Limehouse

St Anne's Limehouse is a Hawksmoor Anglican Church in Limehouse, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It was consecrated in 1730, one of the twelve churches built through the 1711 Act of Parliament.-History:...

, a significant Hawksmoor church; and also adjacent to Limehouse Cut

Limehouse Cut

The Limehouse Cut is a straight, broad canal in the East End of London, which linked the lower reaches of the River Lee Navigation to the River Thames...

, a canal built to provide a short cut from the Lee Navigation to Limehouse Basin

Limehouse Basin

The Limehouse Basin in Limehouse, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets provides a navigable link between the Regent's Canal and the River Thames, through the Limehouse Basin Lock. A basin in the north of Mile End, near Victoria Park connects with the Hertford Union Canal leading to the River Lee...

.

The nearest Docklands Light Railway station is Limehouse.

External links

• Limehouse Town Hall "an independent centre for cultural production and the arts."
• Limehouse Town Hall - a new development
• Creative Week
• Stitches in Time
• University of Openess