Author: Sarah Wiseman

Applicants will need to show how their proposed event will help to enhance the Town Hall’s reputation as a destination for arts and culture and offer community access to certain parts of the building that are usually out-of-bounds.

This year’s Christmas concert in the Town Hall Square, where students from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and local children sang, raised £1025 for the Mayor’s Charity, Action for Kids (www.actionforkids.org) Thanks too to Dunns Bakery for their donation and their mulled wine and mince pies. Thank you to all who took part and Happy Christmas.

Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts will once again be presenting a Christmas carol concert at Hornsey Town Hall Square on Saturday 8 December at 4pm.

he concert will feature festive favourites including Away in a Manger and Ding Dong! Merrily On High with lots of opportunities to join in. Mountview’s choir of acting and musical theatre students will be joined by children from their Saturday classes and other youngsters from Crouch End-based charity, Action For Kids  helps transform the lives of children and young people with physical and learning disabilities by removing barriers to independence.

The carol concert is free to attend. Carol sheets will be available for £1 with all proceeds going to Action For Kids, the Mayor of Haringey’s charity this year. Local bakery Dunn’s will be at the Square selling mince pies and mulled wine.

And Europe Will Be Stunned, Israeli artist Yael Bartana’s powerful and challenging trilogy of films made in Poland between 2007 and 2011, was presented by Artangel this summer in a special exhibition at Hornsey Town Hall.

AND EUROPE WILL BE STUNNED
YAEL YAEL BARTANA 

Image by Marcus Leith 2012, commissioned by Artangel

4 * Review here in the Evening Standard

Over 4,000 peole visited Hornsey Town Hall this summer to see And Europe Will Be Stunned, Israeli artist Yael Bartana’s powerful and challenging trilogy of films made in Poland between 2007 and 2011, which was presented by Artangel.

The trilogy begins with Mary Koszmary (Nightmares). A young politician makes an incendiary speech in Warsaw’s empty Olympic Stadium. He calls for the return of 3.3 million Jews to their ancestral homeland. Responding to the call, Mur i Wie¿a (Wall and Tower) shows his idealistic followers, the Jewish Renaissance Movement in Poland (JRMiP), building a new settlement on the site of the Warsaw Ghetto. But the fences, barbed wire and a tower suggest an ominous future – a fear borne out in the final film in the trilogy, Zamach (Assassination). The politician lies in state, red and white roses on his chest, in Poland’s Palace of Culture. Struck down by an unknown assailant, he is grieved for by his wife, mourned and eulogised by members of the Movement.

As the trilogy unfolds it becomes increasingly unclear whether Bartana’s work is a fantasy, a hallucination or a nightmare. Her bold project blurs fiction and reality, connects traumatic pasts to worrying futures and opens up debates about nationhood and homelands in Europe and the Middle East. Who has the right to return? Who determines who belongs and who does not?

And Europe Will Be Stunned premiered to great acclaim in the Polish Pavilion at the 2011 Venice Biennale. The Council Chamber and other spaces were used at Hornsey Town Hall to present the films and other materials associated with the project.

www.artangel.org.uk

Mountview wins Heritage Lottery Fund support for Hornsey Town Hall

Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts has received initial support* from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for the Renaissance of the Hornsey Town Hall, it was announced today, 31 May 2012. The project aims to restore and protect this important Grade II* listed building, creating a home for one of the UK’s leading drama schools and a vibrant hub of cultural and community activity at the centre of Haringey, North London. HTHCT commented, ‘HTHCT is very pleased that HLF has awarded an initial development grant to Mountview which acknowledges the significance of this architecturally important building. We will all play a role in bringing HTH back to life and look forward to continuing our work with the London Borough of Haringey and Mountview.’

Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts has received initial support* from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for the Renaissance of the Hornsey Town Hall, it was announced today. The project aims to restore and protect this important Grade II* listed building, creating a home for one of the UK’s leading drama schools and a vibrant hub of cultural and community activity at the centre of Haringey, North London.

Development funding of £482,600 has been awarded to help Mountview progress their plans to apply for a full grant at a later date.

The project aims to restore and refurbish the fabric of the building and its interiors, including the architecturally significant Council Chamber, Mayor’s Parlour, Committee Rooms and the Assembly Hall with its elegant foyer. It will create new performance and training spaces and an extensive participation and learning programme through which local, national and international groups can access the building’s rich heritage. Working in partnership with Haringey Council and the Hornsey Town Hall Creative Trust, Mountview is seeking to re-animate the Town Hall, in part for its original entertainment purposes. With the help of local organisations and volunteers, the project will be supported by the development of an archive making accessible the Town Hall’s cultural, civic, architectural and social history for education purposes as well as for the public to enjoy.

Hornsey Town Hall is an iconic building in Crouch End, designed in the 1930s by architect Reginald Uren and immediately awarded a RIBA medal in recognition of its pioneering approach. Owned by Haringey Council, it was declared surplus to requirements in 2003 and has been standing empty since 2009.

Sue Robertson, Principal of Mountview, said “This is fantastic news. There is now a real chance of this important building being restored and once again filled with arts, heritage and cultural events that everyone can enjoy. A unique combination of world class vocational training with a wide range of education and community activities will bring Hornsey Town Hall back to life with added value for all. We are hugely grateful to the Heritage Lottery Fund for sharing our vision.”

Cllr Claire Kober, Leader of Haringey Council said “This is terrific news, both for Mountview and for Crouch End. The support from the Heritage Lottery Fund means that Mountview can press ahead with their exciting plans to transformHornsey Town Hall into a leading drama schools which will also bring community benefits, regenerate this much-loved landmark building and bring a boost to the local economy with increased visitors and a thriving student population. We look forward to continuing to work together with Mountview and the Hornsey Town Hall Creative Trust to help bring the Town Hall back into use.”

Sue Bowers, Head of HLF London, said, “Hornsey Town Hall is a wonderful heritage gem in the heart of North London and a fine example of 1930s architecture and design. The Heritage Lottery Fund support will help MountviewAcademy and Haringey Council progress exciting restoration and regeneration plans that will see the Hall brought back into use for the local community.”

ENDS

Notes to editors
1. A first-round pass
*A first-round pass means the project meets HLF criteria for funding and HLF believes the project has potential to deliver high-quality benefits and value for Lottery money. The application was in competition with other supportable projects, so a first-round pass is an endorsement of outline proposals. Having been awarded a first-round pass, the project now has up to two years to submit fully developed proposals to compete for a firm award.

On occasion, an applicant with a first-round pass will also be awarded development funding towards the development of their scheme.

2. About Mountview
Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts is one of the UK’s leading drama schools, currently based in Wood Green in the London Borough of Haringey. It is a not-for-profit organisation, a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee. Established in 1945, it was initially run as a drama club based in Crouch End. It now has around 400 undergraduate and postgraduate students, projected to rise to 600 over the next five years, studying on courses validated by the University of East Anglia (UEA), along with a wide range of part-time, community and education projects.

The aim is for Mountview to move into the newly-refurbished Hornsey Town Hall in 2015. The Hornsey Town Hall is owned by Haringey Council. It is proposed that Mountview will be the sole tenant with responsibility for the management and maintenance of the building with a 125 year lease at a peppercorn rent.

3. About the Heritage Lottery Fund

Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) sustains and transforms a wide range of heritage for present and future generations to take part in, learn from and enjoy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage. HLF has supported over 30,000 projects, allocating £4.9billion across the UK. Website: www.hlf.org.uk

For further information and images, please contact: David Bumpstead, Press and Publicity Manager, Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. Tel: 020 8829 0036.

Hornsey Town Hall Creative Trust has a new Chair, Liz Sich, taking the helm from Ann Wilks, who along with Trustee Chris Warburton stepped down in May after five years of dedicated work on the project. Sheila Kavanagh has been appointed as the deputy Chair. A new Project Coordinator, Jo Hunter is to replace Rebecca Faulkner who will leave the Trust in July.

Don’t miss the eagerly anticipated BBC2 drama The Hour, which screens on Tuesday 19th July at 9pm, and was filmed in its entirety at the Hornsey Town Hall.

Romola Garai, Dominic West, and Ben Whishaw lead an all-star cast in a thrilling six-part series which takes viewers behind the scenes of the launch of a topical news programme in London 1956. The Town Hall takes on the role of the BBC’s Lime Grove Studios in Shepard’s Bush, and with its wood panelled walls, period lighting and art deco styling, was the perfect location for the detail obsessed producers.

For more information about The Hour visit the BBC website.

Help Hornsey Town Hall Square become a vibrant community hub by telling Haringey Council what kind of activities you would like to see in the location.

A temporary relaxation of licensing rules means the square can now be a trading place and a centre for occasional activities that are independent of the council. For example, would you want to explore the feasibility of a one-off farmers’ or French market, an art fair, wine tasting, an antiques or garden market, holistic and wellbeing services, a book or literary festival, an occasional outdoor ice rink or a vintage market in the area? If so, let the council know.

Cllr Nilgun Canver, Cabinet Member for Environment, said:

“Let’s make this lovely location the jewel in the crown of Crouch End. As well as the more traditional offerings, we are hoping for some innovative ideas which will celebrate the community, bring a vibrancy to the area and reflect the distinct personality of Crouch End.

“This is an opportunity for all to have their say and help shape the tone of the Town Hall Square area. Please get in touch and give us your views.”

The trial period will allow for up to ten events to be held on Town Hall Square up to Christmas.

• be self financing
• help establish the Town Hall Square as the heart of Crouch End
• bring vibrancy and community benefits to the area
• bring business opportunities that complement those of the current traders
• fit around existing commitments regarding the use of Hornsey Town Hall
• be socially responsible, inclusive and within planning and licensing conditions
• bring a sense of pride to Hornsey and Haringey’s diverse communities.

Send in your ideas by email to hth@haringey.gov.uk, write to Hornsey Town Hall Interim Uses Group, Room 1:15, Civic Centre, High Road, Wood Green, N22 8LE or telephone 020 8489 1794.

Many of you will have been aware of the press reports about a Farmers’ Market on the Town Hall Square. The Council responded to press enquiries as follows:

“We know that Hornsey Town Hall Square is important to local residents, and we are keen to support appropriate community use of the area.

The council’s general purposes committee will meet on Thursday (May 19) to consider a temporary relaxation of the street trading policy, which currently prevents any street trading in Hornsey Town Hall Square.

If agreed by the committee, the change could enable a limited number of occasional events such as crafts stalls, community events and farmers markets to be held in the Town Hall square on a trial basis. Any applications for events would be judged on their individual merits.

We would then look to assess the impact of any events before making any decisions about future use of the Town Hall square in consultation with the local community”.

Hornsey Town Hall Creative Trust welcomed Haringey Council’s Cabinet decision on Tuesday 26 April, to move ahead with proposals to restore the landmark Grade II* listed building and invite Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts to make the venue its home.

The partnership will bring the Town Hall back into use, restore heritage features, see a world-class drama school in Crouch End, allow access to public spaces for the first time in many years, and offer a host of community benefits.

HTHCT will continue to work with both Haringey Council and Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts on community access to the Town Hall and is particularly interested in ensuring there is a robust mechanism for maintaining public benefit throughout the 125 year lease.

You can read Haringey Council’s press release here and download a copy of the Cabinet Report here.

The case for supporting this option was made in our statement of 14 April 2011 which you can access here.

Cllr Joe Goldberg, Haringey Council Cabinet Member for Finance and Sustainability; Sandy Orr OBE, Chairman of Mountview; Ann Wilks, Chair of HTHCT; Sue Robertson, Principal of Mountview.

Ann Wilks and Sandy Orr in foreground, Sue Robertson and Cllr Joe Goldberg in background.

Cllr Joe Goldberg, Ann Wilks, Sue Robertson, Sandy Orr.