1 Lancaster Circus, Birmingham

County building in West Midlands, England April 2022 April 2022 1 Lancaster Circus County Hall - Lancaster Circus (geograph 3354898).jpg 1 Lancaster Circus in 2013 West Midlands Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom 1 Lancaster Circus 52.4869 -1.8924 type:landmark_region:GB inline,title 1958 J. Alfred Harper and Son Brutalist style 1 Lancaster Circus is a former municipal facility in Birmingham, England. It was the headquarters of West Midlands County Council from its formation in 1974 until its abolition in 1986. The building then served as offices of Birmingham City Council until 2022. History The building formed part of an initiative by Birmingham City Council to improve the road infrastructure in the area and to redevelop the city centre.https://www.architecture.com/image-library/RIBApix/image-information/poster/birmingham-city-centre-before-the-1960s-redevelopment/posterid/RIBA47242.html Birmingham city centre before the 1960s redevelopment Royal Institute of British Architects 30 September 2020 The site selected for development had previously been occupied by the "Perryian Pen Works", a business owned by Perry & Co.https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=19.1&lat=52.48691&lon=-1.89224&layers=168&right=osm Ordnance Survey second edition (1905)/OpenStreetMap - Side by side viewer 25 August 2026 Maps: National Library of Scotlandhttp://penroom.co.uk/About_manufacturers.aspx The manufacturers The Pen Room https://web.archive.org/web/20120321042143/http://penroom.co.uk/About_manufacturers.aspx 21 March 2012 usurped 21 March 2012https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Perry_and_Co Perry & Co. Grace's Guide 2 October 2020 14 November 2020https://www.gutenberg.org/files/9954/9954-h/9954-h.htm#perry History of the Perryian Pen Works Henry Bore 1890 1 October 2020 The conversion of the depot into an office block, which was designed by J. Alfred Harper and Son in the brutalist style, was completed in 1958.https://www.bdonline.co.uk/opinion/birminghams-vision-for-its-future-is-already-looking-out-of-date/5129650.article Birmingham’s vision for its future is already looking out of date 30 May 2024 25 August 2026 The seven-storey building was faced with Portland stone and described when newly built as "functional and clean-cut, without any embellishment or ornament".The New Birmingham: based on a series of articles by Ald. Frank Price in The Birmingham Mail Birmingham Mail and Public Works Committee of Birmingham City Council Keating W.A. Sixteen The design of the new building reflected the shape of the site. A main frontage of 34 bays faces the Lancaster Circus roundabout, and a side wing of 17 bays extends along Staniforth Street. The office block served as the headquarters of Halfords from 1958 and then as the headquarters of West Midlands County Council from its formation in April 1974 becoming known as "County Hall".https://books.google.com/books?id=Ot-vCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA484 The Macmillan Guide to the United Kingdom 1978-79 MacMillan Publishing 1978 978-0333199084 48448329 13833 3 October 1980https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1987/252/schedule/1/made/data.xht?view=snippet&wrap=true The County Council of West Midlands (M6 Motorway Junction 10) (Connecting Road) Scheme 1985 Legislation.co.uk 2 October 2020 14 November 2020 Following the abolition of the county council in 1986,49121 12502 27 September 1982 the building was renamed 1 Lancaster Circus and occupied, as workspace, by the architecture, engineering, building, finance, environmental and consumer services departments of Birmingham City Council.https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/directory_record/88668/lancaster_circus Lancaster Circus Birmingham City Council 7 October 2019https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/public-service-management-end-of-the-metropolitan-line-county-councils-face-an-uncertain-future-1540037.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/public-service-management-end-of-the-metropolitan-line-county-councils-face-an-uncertain-future-1540037.html 1 May 2022 subscription live Public service management: end of the metropolitan line: county councils face an uncertain future 13 August 1992 The Independent 14 November 2020 A programme of refurbishment works to convert the building to an open plan layout was undertaken by Wates Group at a cost of £23 million to plans by architects, Urban Design, and completed September 2010.https://www.insidermedia.com/news/midlands/38769- Lancaster Circus Refurbishment Complete 10 September 2020 Insider Media 14 November 2020https://www.thebusinessdesk.com/westmidlands/news/62699-office-revamp-opens-20-weeks-ahead-of-schedule Office revamp opens 20 weeks ahead of schedule The Business Desk 15 September 2010 14 November 2020 The redevelopment, which increased the capacity of the building from 800 occupants to 2,000 occupants and involved the installation of 179 chilled beams,https://www.business-live.co.uk/commercial-property/birmingham-councils-chilled-beam-landmark-3945051 Birmingham Council's chilled beam landmark 25 June 2009 Business Live 14 November 2020 won a regional award from the British Council for Offices in 2011.http://www.squaredot.co.uk/lancaster-circus-wins-regional-bco-award Lancaster Circus wins regional BCO Award 26 May 2011 Square Dot 14 November 2020http://www.bco.org.uk/Awards/Winners/2011/Refurbished-Workplace2011.aspx Midlands and East Anglia: 1 Lancaster Circus, Birmingham British Council for Offices 2011 14 November 2020 The city council closed the building and announced the proposed redevelopment of the site in 2022.Jones Tamlyn Investor reveals plans for former Birmingham council offices https://www.business-live.co.uk/commercial-property/investor-reveals-plans-former-birmingham-26777806 16 February 2024 Business Live 25 April 2023 References Category:Buildings and structures in Birmingham, West Midlands Category:County halls in England Category:Government buildings completed in 1958