County Hall, London

History

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The building was commissioned to replace the mid 19th-century Spring Gardens headquarters inherited from the Metropolitan Board of Works. The site selected by civic leaders was previously occupied by four properties: Float Mead (occupied by Simmond's flour mills), Pedlar's Acre (occupied by wharves and houses), Bishop's Acre (occupied by Crosse & Blackwell's factory) and the Four Acres (occupied by workshops and stables). It was compulsorily purchased using powers granted by the County Office Site (London) Act 1906 (6 Edw. 7. c. lxxxvi).

The main six storey building was designed by Ralph Knott. It is faced in Portland stone in an Edwardian Baroque style. The construction, which was undertaken by Holland, Hannen & Cubitts, started in 1911 and the building was opened by King George V in 1922. The North and South blocks, which were built by Higgs and Hill, were added between 1936 and 1939. The Island block was not completed until 1974.

In 1945, the World Trade Union Conference took place at the hall.

The Island Block was built on what was then a roundabout (now a peninsula) between County Hall, St Thomas' Hospital and Waterloo Station. It was notable to the passing public for three main reasons: it was of a completely different architectural character to any of the other nearby buildings, it had no entrances at ground level (though there were emergency exits), being accessible only by a bridge and a tunnel both from the SE County Hall building, and it had orange sunshades, designed to be lowered and raised together automatically when the sun shone, rather than by local control which would look less pleasing on the outside. The controls quickly malfunctioned, leaving the unwanted "random" effect while also causing excess heat and glare inside the building which the occupants could not control. Disliked by many Londoners, it was nonetheless considered "distinguished" by its architect and some other experts, and noted as an early example of open-plan office interior, which should have been listed.

For 64 years County Hall served as the headquarters of local government for London. During the 1980s the then powerful Labour-controlled Greater London Council (GLC) led by Ken Livingstone was locked in conflict with the Conservative national government of Margaret Thatcher. The façade of County Hall frequently served as a billboard for opposition slogans which could be seen from the Palace of Westminster.

When the government of Margaret Thatcher abolished the GLC in 1986, County Hall lost its role as the seat of London's government. Talk soon became of what was to happen to the building, and there were plans to relocate the London School of Economics to the site which did not proceed. The building remained in use by the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) until its abolition in 1990 when the building was transferred to the London Residuary Body and eventually sold to Shirayama Shokusan, a Japanese investor.

The Island Block was demolished in 2006 to make way for a hotel, the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge. The building, also known as No 1 Westminster Bridge Road, had been disused since 1986 and had been described as an eyesore.

A blue plaque commemorates the London County Council (LCC), GLC and the Inner London Education Authority at County Hall.

Attractions

County Hall is the site of a number of leisure attractions including a hub for Merlin Entertainments, which operates the Sea Life London Aquarium in its basement, London Dungeon, Shrek's Adventure! and London Eye in and around the building.

In 2007, County Hall hosted Star Wars: The Exhibition. The exhibition featured original costumes, props, and vehicles from the Star Wars film series and was created to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the original film's release.

From 2008 to 2012, the building was home to the London Film Museum founded by Jonathan Sands, which exhibited original props, costumes and sets from a variety of feature films.

Since October 2017, the old council chamber has hosted a site-specific production of Agatha Christie's Witness for the Prosecution.

Hotels

There are two hotels located in County Hall:

• Premier Inn, Premier Inn London County Hall hotel

• Marriott, London Marriott Hotel County Hall

References

References

1. {{NHLE
2. (1940). "Old County Hall (including site of Berkeley House)". British History Online.
3. (1951). "'The County Hall', in Survey of London: Volume 23, Lambeth: South Bank and Vauxhall". British History Online.
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6. (1956). "'General introduction', Survey of London: volume 26: Lambeth: Southern area".
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14. (25 May 2006). "Demolition work begins on eyesore". BBC News.
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21. (5 May 2007). "Star Wars world arrives in London". BBC News.
22. (7 August 2011). "About The London Film Museum".
23. Admin. (2022-10-06). "Witness for the Prosecution celebrates 5 years at London County Hall".
24. "Witness for the Prosecution".
25. "PREMIER INN LONDON COUNTY HALL HOTEL - Updated 2021 Prices, Reviews, and Photos".
26. "London Marriott Hotel County Hall".