Old Town Hall

History

The Old Town Hall was built in the 1890s on land donated by Sir John Whittaker Ellis for use by Richmond Council and opened in 1893 by the Duke of York. He was a former Lord Mayor of London and the first mayor for the new borough of Richmond. Whittaker Avenue is named after him.

After the formation of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in the early 1960s, a new Civic Centre was built in Twickenham. The Old Town Hall was used for a time by the Social Services Department.

It was refurbished in the 1980s for use by the Library Service and now houses the major information services for the borough - the Information and Reference Library, the Local Studies Collection, the Museum of Richmond and the Riverside Gallery. More information on the history of the Old Town Hall is available as a local history note and an illustrated timeline.

Wi-Fi access

Free unlimited Wi-Fi access is available at Old Town Hall on the libraries network. A password is required to login which is displayed throughout the building. Our Children’s Wi-Fi network is open to anyone with a London Grid for Learning Universal Sign On.

Information and Reference Library

The Library is on the first floor and provides a comprehensive information and reference service for the whole borough. It houses a wide range of reference books, encyclopaedias, dictionaries, directories and maps, serials and periodicals and offers free online access to specially selected databases. There are over 20 PCs available with free access to the internet, webmail and Microsoft Office applications.

Local Studies Collection

The Local Studies Collection is housed on the top floor of the building. Until summer 2000, it was split between Twickenham Library and Richmond, but an extension into the attic space at the Old Town Hall enabled the collection to be consolidation on one site and opening hours to be extended.

Artists Make Space

Richmond Arts Service works with partners to offer free studio space throughout the borough for locally based artists who want to develop their practice but don’t have the room. Artists are chosen through an open call process and are working in spaces across the borough including the ground floor of the Old Town Hall.

Find out more about Artists Make Space.

Museum of Richmond

The Museum of Richmond is housed on the second floor. The Museum is an independent museum and registered charity. It was created by local residents and is supported by the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It covers the history of Richmond Town from the earliest times. Admission is free. The Museum holds special events throughout the year for children and visitors.

Venue hire

There are 3 rooms available for hire:

• Riverside Room
• Whittaker Ellis Suite
• Seminar Room

Find out more information about the rooms here (including photographs, room layout and hire details).

Access and parking

The main entrance to the Old Town Hall is from Whittaker Avenue, up a flight of stone steps. The building has disabled access off Whittaker Avenue. A scissors-lift provides access to the two levels of the ground floor. There is a lift in the foyer giving access to the first and second floors. The Local Studies Collection does not have disabled access but material can be brought to the Reference Library which has study space.

The Old Town Hall does not have its own car park but there is limited on-street meter parking available in Whittaker Avenue.

Getting there

Old Town Hall
Whittaker Ave
Richmond
TW9 1TP

Telephone: 020 8734 3308

See a map of how to get to the Old Town Hall