Ilford War Memorial Hall

Image: © Nigel Cox Taken: 25 Apr 2011

In the way of a description the photographer can do no better than to quote, with all due acknowledgement, directly from the London Borough of Redbridge sign in the foreground. "The Ilford War Memorial Hall records the names of 1,159 Ilford men killed in the 1914-1918 War. The Memorial Hall was opened on 25 June 1927 by Lady Patricia Ramsay (formerly H.R.H. Princess Patricia of Connaught). It was intended to serve both as a memorial and as the entrance hall to the new Children's Ward - known as the Walter Stevens Wing - of what was then the Ilford Emergency Hospital, later to become the King George V Hospital. The Children's Ward (since demolished), the Memorial Hall, the Memorial Gardens and the Memorial Monument at the entrance to the gardens were paid for by money raised from donations to the Ilford War Memorial Fund. Despite the original intention, the Memorial Hall was never used as the entrance to the Children's Hospital and, when the hospital closed in 1993, few people knew about the Memorial. However the historic significance of the building was recognised, and a case was successfully made in 1995 for the Memorial Hall and the Memorial Monument to be added to the statutory list of buildings of architectural or historic interest (Grade II). The building was restored as part of a planning agreement between the London Borough of Redbridge and the developers of the adjoining hospital site. The Council is now responsible for its upkeep. For reasons of security, it is not possible to allow unsupervised access to the Memorial Hall but it open on Remembrance Day and at other times of year. It is also possible to obtain access at other times by appointment." The building, which is octagonal in plan, was designed by the architects C J Dawson & Allardyce.

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