Gravesend Civic Centre & Woodville Theatre
I appreciate that I may be in the minority, but one of my favourite buildings in the borough, is the Borough Council Civic Centre and Woodville Theatre. Before you rush to judgment, hear me out. Brutalist building, as this style is known, is something that grows on you. I’d ask you to look through the photos below and maybe give it a second chance.
In preparation for posting this, I’ve been looking for some information about the early history and some photographs, but there is surprisingly little I could find online.
The building was designed by renowned architect Henry Thomas Cadbury-Brown (1913-2009), architect of the Royal College of Art, a pioneer of British modernism who worked on the Festival of Britain. However, there is no mention of the Civic Centre on his Wikipedia listing.
Work on the construction started in 1964, and the building was opened on 15th November 1968. Apart from that, I’ve been able to find very little. There seem to be no early photographs online and very little of the history. If you have any photographs you’re happy to share, please let me know. Maybe we can show this wonderful building a little love.
