County Hall

County Hall stands beside the Thames in Lambeth, a large Edwardian Baroque building of Portland stone. It faces Westminster across the river and is joined by Waterloo Bridge to the west. The main block rises six storeys and was designed by Ralph Knott, completed in 1922 after eleven years of construction. Two later wings were added in the late 1930s, and a final block was finished only in the 1970s. The whole complex once housed London’s local government for more than six decades. The building’s political past makes it worth visiting. For many years it was the headquarters of the London County Council and later the Greater London Council under Ken Livingstone. During the 1980s its façade became a billboard for opposition slogans visible from the Palace of Westminster. A blue plaque now marks the site’s role in London’s civic history. The Island Block, once notorious for its orange sunshades and open-plan offices, has been replaced by a modern hotel. Inside the complex visitors find the Sea Life London Aquarium in the basement and the London Dungeon on the ground floor. Shrek’s Adventure! and the London Eye stand nearby, all run by Merlin Entertainments. The old council chamber hosts a permanent staging of Agatha Christie’s Witness for the Prosecution. Two hotels occupy parts of the building, offering rooms with views over the river and Westminster.