Bexley Civic Offices
| Bexley Civic Offices | |
|
Kent | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Bexley Civic Offices (right) | |
| Type: | Town hall |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TQ49737516 |
| Location: | 51°27’20"N, -0°9’13"E |
| Town: | Bexleyheath |
| History | |
| Address: | Watling Street |
| Built 1989 | |
| Town hall | |
| Information | |
| Owned by: | Bexley Council |
The Bexley Civic Offices are a municipal building in Watling Street, Bexleyheath, Kent. They are the headquarters of Bexley Council.
History
In 1903, Bexley Urban District Council established offices in an early 19th century building known as Oak House which stood on the south side of the Broadway in Bexleyheath in 1903.[1] This continued after 1932 as the seat of the new 'Municipal Borough of Bexley' until 1965 when councils were reorganised: the new Bexley council had its headquarters initially at Erith Town Hall.
The new council only used Erith Town Hall briefly as it chose to demolish Oak House in 1979 to make way for purpose-built civic offices which opened on the same site on the south side of the Broadway in 1980.[1] This new building however was not to last: in 2014 the council moved again.
The building which now serves as the Bexley Civic Offices was built 1989 as the head office of the Woolwich Building Society. It was designed in the style of a pagoda.[2][3] In 2000, Barclays acquired the building society and in 2005 the Watling Street building was vacated.[4] The council bought it and began a refurbishment and conversion.
The work of conversion included alterations to facilitate open-plan working and building a new building at the rear of the site to accommodate a council chamber, a council member's area and public galleries.[5] Some 1,300 council staff, who were previously based in four separate locations in the borough,[6] moved into the new Bexley Civic Offices in May 2014.[2][7] It was officially opened by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, in October 2014.[8]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Oak House, Bexleyheath". London Borough of Bexley. https://www.bexley.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2018-08/Oak-House-Bexleyheath-local-history-article.pdf. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Bexley Council moves offices to old Woolwich building in Watling Street". News Shopper. 12 May 2014. https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/11207376.bexley-council-moves-offices-to-old-woolwich-building-in-watling-street/. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- ↑ "History of Barnehurst". Ideal Homes. http://www.ideal-homes.org.uk/bexley/assets/histories/barnehurst. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- ↑ Fowler, Joshua. "Redevelopment of former Woolwich building in Bexleyheath approved". Bexley Times, 17 July 2012. http://www.bexleytimes.co.uk/news/redevelopment_of_former_woolwich_building_in_bexleyheath_approved_1_1449099. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- ↑ "Bexley Civic Offices". Mace Group. https://www.macegroup.com/projects/bexley-civic-centre. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- ↑ "Bexley Council announce they will move into new Woolwich building offices on May 12". News Shopper. 26 March 2014. https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/11104007.bexley-council-announce-they-will-move-into-new-woolwich-building-offices-on-may-12/. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- ↑ "Bexley Council moves offices to old Woolwich building in Watling Street". This is London. 12 May 2014. https://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/11207376.bexley-council-moves-offices-to-old-woolwich-building-in-watling-street/. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- ↑ "Boris Johnson opens new Bexley College Erith campus and council offices in Bexleyheath". News Shopper. 8 October 2014. https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/11520845.boris-johnson-opens-new-bexley-college-erith-campus-and-council-offices-in-bexleyheath/. Retrieved 27 April 2020.