County Hall is a building in the district of Lambeth, London that was the headquarters of London County Council (LCC) and later the Greater London Council (GLC). The building is on the South Bank of the River Thames. It is a Grade II* listed building.
Now it is no longer a civic building, it has become home to several businesses and attractions, including the London Aquarium.
The scope of this building can only really be understood from the far side of the river. In addition, its rear parts have sustained serious reconstruction.
Nevertheless, here we are. In 1888, London County Council, comprising what we now think of as the Inner Boroughs, was created, with broad-ranging powers to shape life across the capital. It required an HQ, and the councillors cannily positioned themselves opposite the Palace of Westminster, reminding MPs of the limits on their jurisdiction over the capital.
County Hall was designed by Ralph Knott, and it isn’t a modern building: Knott wanted baroque massiveness for this seat of power, so he rejected the use of steel framing in favour of solid masonry. The design was finalised in 1908, and delayed by WWI, with the main body of the building incomplete until 1933 - one of London’s last big Edwardians. There are newer blocks to the rear.
The larger GLC arrived in 1965, and at its peak 8500 people were employed in County Hall. Until Livingstone vs Thatcher resulted in the GLC being dissolved in 1986: and thus London, the greatest city in the world, no longer had a government of its own, nor a use for the massive engine of power that it had occupied.
It was important, for certain politicians, to flog off and dismember the GLC’s home as quickly as possible. Today, County Hall is mostly filled with hotel rooms, Agatha Christie fans, and fish.
Meanwhile, an emasculated Greater London Authority operates out of an anonymous speculative office block in the Royal Docks, a location few Londoners will ever set eyes on, let alone visit.
Nevertheless, here we are. In 1888, London County Council, comprising what we now think of as the Inner Boroughs, was created, with broad-ranging powers to shape life across the capital. It required an HQ, and the councillors cannily positioned themselves opposite the Palace of Westminster, reminding MPs of the limits on their jurisdiction over the capital.
County Hall was designed by Ralph Knott, and it isn’t a modern building: Knott wanted baroque massiveness for this seat of power, so he rejected the use of steel framing in favour of solid masonry. The design was finalised in 1908, and delayed by WWI, with the main body of the building incomplete until 1933 - one of London’s last big Edwardians. There are newer blocks to the rear.
The larger GLC arrived in 1965, and at its peak 8500 people were employed in County Hall. Until Livingstone vs Thatcher resulted in the GLC being dissolved in 1986: and thus London, the greatest city in the world, no longer had a government of its own, nor a use for the massive engine of power that it had occupied.
It was important, for certain politicians, to flog off and dismember the GLC’s home as quickly as possible. Today, County Hall is mostly filled with hotel rooms, Agatha Christie fans, and fish.
Meanwhile, an emasculated Greater London Authority operates out of an anonymous speculative office block in the Royal Docks, a location few Londoners will ever set eyes on, let alone visit.
N.B. despite living in Kent, and being in and out of London most of my life, in 2009 we decided to do a 'Big Red Bus' (open-topped double-decker) tour of London. It seemed expensive, but from the top of that bus, we saw things that we've always missed before. The tour was helped by the fantastic tour guide, who was born, and lived his entire life within the sound of Bow Bells.
If you are a stranger in London, or even if you aren't, may I recommend the Big Bus Tours. Yes, they're not cheap, but you can hop on and off at any of their stops, and see lots of things you might have missed, and great views of just how wonderful and interesting the City of London really is.
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