Willesden

Trades Hall

A building of significant political, social and cultural importance

We are developing and modernising the Willesden Trades Hall for the twenty-first century. Empowering its legacies to inform the Hall’s future as a social, cultural and arts space for the community.

The Willesden Trades Hall sits on the High Road in Willesden. A building of significant political, social and cultural importance both locally and nationally, it has in recent times fallen into disuse. We are now developing and reinvigorating this legacy building for the twenty-first century.

Heritage

The building has great historical significance to Brent, London and the nation both as a home for the Labour movement, and for the legendary reggae venue The Apollo Club. As a centre for the local and national labour movement it played a crucial role in the political, economic and social history of the area and nation: a venue for trade unionists and labour movement activists to meet and organise industrial action and campaigns.

It has hosted significant advances in the movement particularly with respect to women’s workers’ rights, as home for actions from the National Federation of Women Workers in the early twentieth century, and for the 2-year Grunwick strike of the 1970’s organised by the first South Asian women workers to unionise in the UK.

In 1924 Sylvia Pankhurst founded the Willesden Branch of the Communist Workers Movement at the hall. In 1926 the hall was the headquarters for the national General Strike, the biggest industrial action ever in the UK. It hosted the People’s March and the London actions of the Miners Strikes of the 1980’s. The Hall’s reputation for solidarity was international: when Nelson Mandela visited the UK in 1962 one of his first stops was to speak there – the event was so well attended it had to decamp to Anson Hall.

In 1969 the London Apollo Club was created on the ground floor of the building. Despite local resistance the venue became a treasured cultural and community venue created by the local Afro – Caribbean community. It provided an essential space for activism and solidarity for the community (which continues at the British Black Music Collective next door) and welcomed legendary national and international reggae artists including John Holt, Elton Ellis, Gregory Isaacs and it’s said that Bob Marley played the venue on his first visit to the UK. The Apollo Club prevailed until the pandemic lockdown of 2020, but now sadly has closed.

The Future

Since the 1980’s the Hall and its activities and funding have slowly declined – the last night at the Apollo Club was just before the Covid lilockdown of 2020. The building itself has since been neglected and is in need of attention, some urgent.

The Society has been reformed and is seeking solutions for the buildings’ future. We are in the process of a broad community consultation to inform how to best care for the building’s legacy, both as part of the national Labour movement and as a cultural and music venue.

The Company has the firm intention of creating new spaces for the Labour movement and the arts: one that provides for local and national community needs through facilities for education, history, practices of community care, and the cultural and creative enterprise that reflects the diverse constituents of Brent.

Our Friends Collective

Our Friends Collective meets regularly at the Hall to discuss the development of the Trades Hall and Apollo Club. Everyone is welcome to attend – it is an opportunity to represent your community and have a say in how the building can work in the future and a forum to share experience and skills.

Contact Us

Tel: 077707 52250

Email: office@willesden-trades-hall.org

© 2023 Willesden Trades Hall

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