Luton Town Hall

Luton Town Hall is situated at the junction between Manchester Street, Upper George Street and George Street, Luton, England; the current building was completed in 1936 on the site of the older Town Hall which was burnt down 19 July 1919, following the Peace Day Riots.

The original Town Hall was built in the classical style with Dorian columns supporting a frieze designed by Luton architects John Williams and Sons in 1846 and was built for a total cost excluding the purchasing of the land for £2,200. It was built by the Town Hall Company to hold public meetings and entertainment in the town and was only bought by Luton town council in 1874.

In 1856 a small tower and clock was added in commemoration of the Crimean War. The prosperity of Bedfordshire in the early part of the 20th century led to the expansion of the original town hall, and a public house and other neighbouring buildings were converted to provide additional office and administration. Some discussions had taken place amongst the councillors about replacing the older parts of the complex, but with the onset of World War I in 1914 these plans were shelved.

On Peace Day, 19 July 1919, the Town Hall was burnt down during a riot by ex-servicemen unhappy with unemployment and other grievances. The riot started after members of the council arrived to read out the King’s proclamation and many in the crowd expressed their disapproval. Tension boiled over into violence and a number of protesters broke through the police line and forcibly entered the town hall. Shortly after a number of violent clashes took place, with the town hall being stormed by the crowd and eventually set on fire.

Order was eventually restored to the town by midnight on 19 July, but the fire brigade were unable to extinguish the fire and by the next morning the town hall was little more than ruins. The remains of the building were demolished in August 1919 and in 1922 the statue "Peace" (designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield) inscribed with the names of more than 280,000 dead servicemen from the Great War was unveiled. The war memorial still stands in front of the Town Hall. Following the destruction of the building the town's administration was carried out from the Carnegie library, later demolished and eventually replaced by a Poundstretcher shop, and today the site of a Toby Carvery.

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