Willesden Trades Hall and London Apollo Club, Brent

Team

London Historic Buildings Trust (Project Manager)

Adjaye Associates (Architect)

Vitruvius Heritage (Heritage Consultant)

Project Costs

£90,675 (incl VAT)

The Willesden Trades Hall has played a significant role in the social history of Willesden since the early 20^th Century. It is located at 375 High Road, Willesden, London NW10 2JR and is a short walk from Dollis Hill underground station.

The hall has hosted events for Sylvia Pankhurst, and Nelson Mandela. The General Strike in 1926, the Hunger Marches, the Grunwick Strike (1976 – 1978) and the Kent Miners during the miners strike for example were based and organised from the Hall. The hall has also hosted community events for over a century, including live reggae music in the Apollo Club launched on the ground floor of the building in 1969 by Bob Marley.

In early 2025, LHBT was appointed as Project Manager by the Willesden Trades Hall Charity, a newly established organisation, comprised of local stakeholders, to coordinate the delivery of a vital feasibility project – ‘Empowering Community Resilience to Relaunch the Willesden Trades and Labour Hall‘.

The project has received funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and The Architectural Heritage Fund which seeks to commence the process of regenerating this historic building, via three key objectives:

Invigorate and communicate the historic significance and legacy of the building and appraise and address its material condition and needs.
Facilitate the reopening of the ground floor (former London Apollo Club) for ‘meanwhile’ community use
Identify a viable long-term future for the building that will benefit the diverse communities of Brent.

Our Role

LHBT’s project managers, Hannah and Heloise, are jointly responsible for:

Working with a commissioned architect-led team to deliver building surveys, and Options Appraisal to identify viable reuse and repair options for the building.
Leading on community consultation by delivering surveys, focus groups and architectural workshops, to facilitate local people to input into the design process.
Co-creating and overseeing a programme of cultural and heritage activities including reggae, drama and walking tour activities with local partners and community members Metroland Cultures. Reaching out to key audiences of the Afro-Caribbean community, young refugees, and immediate residents
Forming and strengthening the new Willesden Trades Hall Charity’s networks and partnerships to support a viable future community hub the building.
Coordinating a programme of taster heritage and cultural activities with local partners, linked to the historical and social significance of the site

History

The Trades and Labour Hall

Sylvia Pankhurst founded the Willesden Branch of the Communist Workers Movement in 1924
The 1926 General Strike organised the Willesden council of action from the Hall
Nelson Mandela was invited by the trades council to speak at the hall in 1962 as he was touring the world seeking support against Apartheid South Africa.

However, the event was so well attended it decamped to the Anson Hall
In 1974-76 the Grunwick strike committee, supporting a group of South Asian women workers, led by Jayaben Desai, who were on strike for the right to unionise, was based in the Hall
1981 – Peoples March for Jobs were welcomed at the hall by Brent dinner ladies
1984-1985 Kent Miners used the hall as their base for action during the Miners Strike

The London Apollo Club

In 1969, the London Apollo Club was launched in the Hall on the Ground Floor by Bob Marley, hosting weekly live music events for nearly 50 years. Although it has not reopened since COVID-19, the Club remains a cherished music venue and a social hub for the Afro-Caribbean community, both in Brent and across London.

The Club has welcomed legendary reggae artists such as John Holt, Elton Ellis, Bob Marley, Gregory Isaacs and local reggae bands such as the Cimarrons, becoming a beloved meeting place for the Afro-Caribbean community, especially during times when they were not welcomed in other music and social venues.

Currently, the Brent Black Music Co-operative, two doors down, serves as the local home for reggae following the Club’s closure.