Stoke Newington Town Hall scoops gold award

Dancing couples enjoy the refurbished Stoke Newington Town Hall

The newly-refurbished Stoke Newington Town Hall has won top prize at the prestigious architecture and furniture competition, the Wood Awards. As well as winning the Conservation/Restoration category, it claimed the Gold Award, which was presented to the best overall winner on 21 October.

“It’s a listed building,” explained John Turner, director of the winners Hawkins\Brown, “so you have to understand it and respect it. You have to work with not just natural materials, but materials that are complementary as well.”

The building has retained many of its original features, such as the hardwood veneered panelling. There is a new sprung floor for dancing, and the main hall houses Europe’s second biggest glitter ball, at 1.5 metres wide.

Stoke Newington Town Hall was constructed in the 1930s and fitted out in the fashionable art deco style. Throughout the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s, the Assembly Hall held classical music concerts and was famed for its annual opera cabaret.

When the boroughs of Hackney, Shoreditch and Stoke Newington became the London Borough of Hackney, the Assembly Hall continued as a lively entertainment venue. Thanks to its now award-winning revamp, it is sure to guarantee many a happy evening in the future.