Grade II listed Camden Town Hall is in the centre of London opposite the gothic towers of St Pancras train station. It was designed as St Pancras Town Hall by AJ Thomas, who was a former assistant of EL Lutyens, which explains the influence of Classical style inside and outside the building.
Built in 1937, it is the home of Camden Council. As part of an extensive 4-year refurbishment programme, Dernier & Hamlyn was commissioned by TClarke, one of the UK’s largest electrical contractors, working for global real estate group Lendlease, main contractor on this £60m+ programme.
This was a large project for Dernier & Hamlyn’s team which involved refurbishment of more than 60 brass, oak and glass fittings, many of which were listed and are believed to have been designed by AJ Thomas around 80 years old ago. All the fittings were carefully removed and transported to Dernier & Hamlyn’s restoration facility. There, they were painstakingly dismantled, cleaned, repaired where required and rewired in line with current regulations before being returned to Camden Town Hall for reinstallation by TClarke’s team.
Denier & Hamlyn’s artisans also manufactured 16 new fittings for Camden Town Hall’s Council Chamber and foyer comprising various styles of brass lanterns and pendants. Some of these fittings had emergency lighting discreetly hidden inside so that legal requirements were met without detracting from the aesthetic qualities and period appropriateness of the lighting.
Mark Pye, Dernier & Hamlyn’s Head of Production Mark Pye said: “This was a complex project further complicated by the interruptions caused by a global pandemic. As always, our team rose to the challenges we encountered and we are very proud to have contributed to the restoration of this historically important building in the heart of the capital city.”