Town Hall Whitechapel

Getting here

Whitechapel is one of the best-served neighbourhoods in zone 2, the station has step-free access.

The area is served by:

• London Underground lines District. Hammersmith & City and Elizabeth line
• London Overground services, to Highbury & Islington and New Cross, West Croydon and Crystal Palace
• Five bus routes and three night bus routes
• Cycle Superhighway between Aldgate and Stratford
• Two Santander Cycle Hire docking stations nearby (with space for 78 bikes), with several others around

Whitechapel is served by five bus routes:

• 205 Bow Church to Paddington
• 25 Ilford to City Thameslink
• 106 Whitechapel to Finsbury Park
• 254 Aldgate to Nag’s Head
• D3 Bethnal Green to Leamouth

There are also three night bus routes.

The Transport for London website provides information on how to plan accessible travel around London.

The AccessAble website provides further information about the accessibility of stations around London that can be useful when planning your journey to our Town Hall.

Facilities

Visitor parking

There is no general visitor parking at our Town Hall. 

There are two bookable disabled parking bays available for blue badge holders at the front of the building. These spaces must be booked by the service you are visiting via our facilities management team.

Toilets

On the ground floor we have two male and two female toilet blocks. These can be accessed in our main entrance lobby and in our grocers wing. We also have a baby changing facility and Accessible toilet cubicles located on the ground floor. One next to the main entrance, one in the Grocers Wing and one in our Residents Hub.

Changing Places

We have worked with Changing Places to install an accessible toilet and changing facility at our new Town Hall.

People with profound and multiple learning disabilities, as well other disabilities that severely limit mobility, cannot use standard accessible toilets.

Our changing place facility is located in our Grocer Wing on the ground floor. 

For more information please visit the Changing Places website.

Access to our building

The visitor entrance to Town Hall at the front of the building on Whitechapel Road. All public areas including the Chamber, Committee Rooms, Residents Hub and community space are on the ground floor.

Security and reception officers are trained to consider wellbeing issues to ensure the safety, physical and emotional comfort of visitors to our Town Hall.

Guide/assistance dogs

We welcome all guide and assistance dogs at our Town Hall, as well as other assistance animals. No other dogs or pets are permitted. Please tell the security officer about your assistance dog when you arrive.

Hearing / induction loop

Public areas of our Town Hall including the main reception desk, Council Chamber, Committee Room and our Residents Hub have an inbuilt induction loop. The induction loops are always on, users may need to switch their device to the ‘T-setting’.

Hidden disabilities and wellbeing

The council understands that different surroundings will affect people in different ways. We want to ensure all visitors to our Town Hall feel as comfortable as possible.

The open atrium, roof windows and large glass panels provide natural light inside the building and a sense of open space.

We have a range of different furniture on the ground floor where our visitors can seek quieter spaces if needed.

Please speak with the reception officer for advice on finding a quieter space on the day of your visit if you are affected by the noise.

Fire safety  

If there is an evacuation, an alarm will direct people to leave by the nearest fire exit. The fire alarm system has a number of flashing beacons at ceiling level to warn deaf and hard of hearing visitors.

Our facilities officers and security officers will check all areas and guide visitors out of the building during an evacuation. There is no central muster point - you will be spread into the local area.

Residents' Hub

The Residents’ Hub offers residents free face to face (by appointment), over the phone or virtual advice across a range of services. It's accessible on the ground floor of the Town Hall. 

Find out more about the Residents' Hub. 

The Residents' Hub opening hours are:

• 9am to 4.30pm, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
• 10am to 4.30pm, Wednesday

Contact information

London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Tower Hamlets Town Hall
160 Whitechapel Road
London
E1 1BJ

Tel: 020 7364 5000

Building opening hours for public:
Monday to Friday, 8am to 7pm (we open later for council meetings).