County Hall (sometimes called London County Hall) is a building in the district of Lambeth,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

that was the headquarters of

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

(LCC) and later the Greater London Council (GLC). The building is on the South Bank of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

, with

Westminster Bridge Westminster Bridge is a road-and-foot-traffic bridge over the River Thames in London, linking Westminster on the west side and Lambeth on the east side. The bridge is painted predominantly green, the same colour as the leather seats in the ...

being next to it, to the south. It faces west toward the City of Westminster and is close to the Palace of Westminster. The nearest

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The ...

stations are and . It is a Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

History

County Hall, London, seen from the London Eye

The building was commissioned to replace the mid 19th-century

Spring Gardens Spring Gardens is a dead-end street at the south east extreme of St. James's, London, England, that crosses the east end of The Mall between Admiralty Arch and Trafalgar Square. Part of the old liberty of Westminster and the current City of W ...

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 Crosse & Blackwell is a British food brand. The original company was established in London in 1706, then was acquired by Edmund Crosse and Thomas Blackwell in 1830. It became independent until it was acquired by Swiss conglomerate Nestlé in 1960. ...

's factory) and the Four Acres (occupied by workshops and stables). The main six storey building was designed by Ralph Knott. It is faced in Portland stone in an

Edwardian Baroque Edwardian architecture is a Neo-Baroque architectural style that was popular in the British Empire during the Edwardian era (1901–1910). Architecture up to the year 1914 may also be included in this style. Description Edwardian architecture is ...

style. The construction, which was undertaken by Holland, Hannen & Cubitts, started in 1911 and the building was opened by

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...

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. For 64 years County Hall served as the headquarters of local government for London. During the 1980s the then powerful Labour-controlled GLC led by Ken Livingstone was locked in conflict with the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

national government of

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

. 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

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 The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a public university, public research university located in London, England and a constituent college of the federal University of London. Founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidn ...

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 The London Residuary Body was a body set up in 1985 to dispose of the assets of the Greater London Council after the council's abolition in 1986. Similar residuary bodies were set up for the metropolitan counties. After the abolition of the Inn ...

and eventually sold to Shirayama Shokusan, a Japanese investor. On 21 October 2005, the

High Court of England and Wales The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Senior Courts of England and Wales. Its name is abbreviated as EWHC (England ...

upheld a bid by the owners of the building, Shirayama Shokusan, to have the

Saatchi Gallery The Saatchi Gallery is a London art gallery, gallery for contemporary art and an independent charity opened by Charles Saatchi in 1985. Exhibitions which drew upon the collection of Charles Saatchi, starting with US artists and minimalism, mov ...

evicted on grounds of violating its contract, particularly using space outside of the rented area for exhibits. The Island block, an annex of the main building, was demolished in 2006 to make way for a hotel, the

Park Plaza Westminster Bridge The Park Plaza Westminster Bridge is a hotel at 200 Westminster Bridge Road in London with 1,019 bedrooms. It was designed by BUJ architects, Uri Blumenthal architects and Digital Space, and was built on the site of the County Hall Island Block, ...

. The building, also known as ''No 1 Westminster Bridge Road'', had been disused since 1986 and had become a derelict eyesore. A blue plaque commemorates the LCC, GLC and the Inner London Education Authority at County Hall.

Attractions

County Hall is the site of businesses and attractions, including the

Sea Life London Aquarium The Sea Life London Aquarium is located on the ground floor of County Hall on the South Bank of the River Thames in central London, near the London Eye. It opened in March 1997 as the London Aquarium and hosts about one million visitors each ye ...

and Shrek's Adventure London.

Hotels

There are two hotels located in County Hall: * Budget Premier Inn, Premier Inn London County Hall hotel * Five-star

Marriott Marriott may refer to: People *Marriott (surname) Corporations * Marriott Corporation, founded as Hot Shoppes, Inc. in 1927; split into Marriott International and Host Marriott Corporation in 1993 * Marriott International, international hote ...

hotel, London Marriott Hotel County Hall

References

External links

*
londoncountyhall.comSurvey of London entryBlitzandblight
(archive) {{Authority control Local government buildings in London Buildings and structures on the River Thames Edwardian architecture in London

Baroque Revival architecture London County Council Greater London Council Exhibition and conference centres in London L History of the London Borough of Lambeth Grade II* listed buildings in the London Borough of Lambeth Government buildings completed in 1939