Design

Commissioned in the early 1930s to house Hornsey Borough Council, Hornsey Town Hall was designed by New Zealand-born architect Reginald Uren, who found inspiration in modern Scandinavian architecture. As such, the town hall became one of the earliest and most iconic examples of modernist architecture in Britain. Honouring this rich heritage, Make architects have lovingly restored and refurbished the building and many of its period fixtures and fittings. The restoration stretches from the big things, like repairing the building’s distinctive brick façade, down to the very smallest details, like cleaning and reinstating the original art deco light fittings, door handles and balustrades, preserving the building’s period grandeur for generations to come.

Drawing inspiration from the modernist brickwork and metal detailing of Hornsey Town Hall, the Uren Building is made up of four linked pavilions stretching from Haringey Park towards Weston Park. Patterned balcony balustrades punctuate the bold brick façade, referencing the detailed metalwork of the neighbouring town hall. These balconies also provide each of the 82 apartments with their own private outdoor space.

Adjoining the east wing of the town hall, the Ayres Building houses 40 apartments and finds influence in the Grade II listed Hornsey Library, a 1960s modernist building situated on the neighbouring Haringey Park. Referencing the library’s architecture, the building has a reconstituted stone façade broken up by elaborate balcony balustrades, which reflect the metalwork of the town hall.