History

County Hall’s main six storey building, faced in Portland stone and inspired by an Edwardian Baroque style, was designed by British architect Ralph Knott.  Its construction, undertaken by Holland, Hannen & Cubitts, began in 1911 and finished in 1922 when it was opened by King George V.  The North, South, and Island block buildings were built at later dates with the last being completed in 1974.  

Three pics of County Hall London building in the past 

The building served as the headquarters for the Greater London Council (GLC) for sixty-four years until the council, led by Ken Livingstone, clashed with the British Government in the early 1980s.  During this time, the GLC often used County’s Hall’s proximity to the Houses of Parliament to display anti-government slogans on the building’s face. Under a mandate by Margaret Thatcher’s government, the GLC was abolished in 1986 and use of County Hall was given to the Inner London Education Authority until it was abolished in 1990. 

The building was soon after transferred to the London Residuary Body before being sold to private investors.  The Island block building, an extension of the main building, had fallen into disuse following the abolishment of the GLC and was demolished in 2006 to make way for a hotel.

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