Woolwich Town Hall - one of the busiest public buildings in the borough - has been celebrating its 100th birthday.
Mayor of Greenwich, Cllr Dr Paul Tyler, hosted a ceremony for more than 100 guests. These including descendents of Will Crooks, a former MP for Woolwich, who originally opened the Town Hall in 1906. Ghanaian High Commissioner Mr Isaac Osei and the Slovenian Ambassador Iztok Misosic also joined in the fun.
Centenary exhibition
The reception included the opportunity to view a Centenary Exhibition that features a history of the Town Hall and pictures of the building over the last 100 years.
The exhibition gives an account of the many historic buildings which Woolwich is home to, including:
- Woolwich Library, opened in 1901
- Woolwich Baths, opened in 1894
- Woolwich Polytechnic, opened 1891
- Old Town Hall, currently the Woolwich Magistrates Court, opened in 1841.
The Centenary exhibition is being held at the Town Hall for two weeks and will then be moving to the Heritage Centre at the Woolwich Royal Arsenal site.
A great honour
Councillor Dr Paul Tyler, Mayor of Greenwich, said,
"For me, as Mayor, it is a great honour to be hosting the Town Hall’s one-hundredth birthday.
"We are here today to celebrate, in the words of one of Will Crooks’ great-grandsons, the part this grand old building has played in demonstrating, over time, a sense of community and civic pride."
13 January 2006