The Architects Who Won Both First And Second Place To Design Romford Town Hall

6th October 20261st October 2026 The Havering Daily 0 Comments Antoine Englebert, Architects, Architects' Journal, Bournemouth, British Architects, Cardiff, Collins, Design Romford Town Hall, Fellow, First, Geens, Herbert, Historic England, Historic England Archive Historic England, Instead, International Moderne, James Wallace, Kenneth, Main Road, Romford Town hall, Romford Urban District, Romford's, Royal Institute, Second, Second Place, Sources, Won Both First min read

A 1935 architectural competition for Romford’s new civic buildings produced an unusual result: the same team took both top prizes.

When Romford Urban District Council invited architects to design its new municipal offices and assembly hall, the competition attracted 66 sets of drawings and a wide range of ideas.

The assessor was Kenneth M. B. Cross, an established architect and Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects. The first prize was £250, second prize £100 and third prize £50.

First place went to Bournemouth architects Herbert R. Collins and Antoine Englebert O. Geens.

Then came the surprise. Second place also went to Collins and Geens, for a different, alternative design submitted to the same competition. Cardiff architect James Wallace was awarded third prize.

The Architects’ Journal published the assessor’s report in August 1935. It reveals that the second-placed Collins and Geens scheme was, in some respects, considered superior to their winning entry. Its buildings were set further back and its planning was described as straightforward and direct.

But cost mattered enormously. The competition conditions stressed economy as a fundamental consideration. The first-placed design was estimated at £54,502 for the overall scheme, while the architects’ second-placed alternative was estimated at £61,634.

The winning proposal also allowed the municipal offices to be built first without seriously harming the design if the assembly hall had to be postponed. That proved prophetic: the offices were built, while the proposed hall never was.

The architects deliberately avoided expensive decoration. Instead, their report said the civic character of the building would come from its proportions, materials and fitness for purpose. That philosophy is still visible in the restrained Main Road frontage today.

The municipal offices opened in 1937 as Romford Town Hall. Historic England now describes the building as International Moderne and records Collins and Geens as its architects.

For the two men, however, the story began with a competition in which they managed the remarkable feat of beating every other entrant twice.