County Hall
London is a vast, multicultural and one of the best metropolitan in the world. The County Hall is one such London attraction. London is one of the famous London tourist destinations. In 1909 the embankment wall had to be brought in line with that of the St Thomas's Hospital foreshore. The land reclaimed cost £10,000 which was paid to the Thames Conservators. Also in 1909 the Cross & Blackwell factory had to be demolished. Whilst this had a 999 year lease, starting from 1896, they were paid £100,000 to vacate the premises. This was, however far cheaper than the proposed site of the Aldwych which would have cost £2,400,000. The actual area was 5.4 acres which only accounted for about 10% of the development. The total cost of acquiring the site was £617,000. In 1912 the foundation stone was laid. Here. The foundation stone was laid by King George V accompanied by Queen Mary. 10 years later, they revisited to "officially" open County Hall.
On 17th July 1922, George V and Queen Mary attended the opening ceremony of the County hall. However, hidden from view, were the unfinished works. In fact, the County Hall was completed many years later. In 1933, the Education Library was completed. The library would be capable of holding up to 80,000 volumes. The library service was founded in 1889 by the School Board for London. This was to serve both the teachers and infants schools in inner London. London Hop on Hop Off bus tours passes through most of the London museums and galleries and gives a chance to visit your favourite places at your leisure.
During World War II the County Hall suffered from over 30 incidents. However, the worst attack came on the 19-20 September 1940. Out of the 200 people occupying the building at that time, there were only two fatalities.
The plans of the Council to centralise their staff never really came to be even Sixty years after the building works had started. The Council rejected ideas to decentralise their staff and decided to build the Island Block in the centre of the roundabout on Westminster Bridge Road. This would link directly, via a foot bridge, to the South Block. This was officially opened on 21st October 1974. London open top bus tours enable you to jump on and off the buses and visit attractions in London at your leisure.
Located on London's vibrant South Bank with a waterfront vista overlooking the Palace of Westminster and Big Ben, County Hall Gallery makes its home in the historic County Hall, next to the BA London Eye. Up until the late eighties County Hall was the location from where the capital was run by Ken Livingstone his cronies at the Greater London Council. Now this prestigious river-side building over-looking the Thames houses many high profile events and a number of rooms including the original Debating Chamber can be hired for meetings. When there's no exhibition on, the Ozu restaurant, speciliazing in Japanese fare, is the best way to take in the fantastic views over the river and looking out onto Westminster. Large windows reveal sights of Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye. It's a great way to take in the sights while chowing down on some delicious sushi and sake. It's also very convenient place from which you can explore the neighbouring attractions which include the London Aquarium, IMAX cinema and the Dali Museum.
Combining great works of art and innovative showcase design, County Hall Gallery has an established reputation for cutting edge, blockbuster exhibitions. Comprising of three major gallery spaces, including the permanent Dalí Universe exhibition, with a dedicated corporate events service and fine art sales consultancy, County Hall Gallery transcends traditional preconceptions of a modern art gallery. Aside from generating popular exhibitions, County Hall Gallery uses its multifaceted structure to create memorable experiences for visitors and clients alike.
Visit London with all this famous and best galleries and London museums and make your London tour really a memorable journey.