| Woking Civic Offices | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The civic offices in 2015 | |
| Location | Gloucester Walk,Woking |
| Coordinates | 51°19′16″N0°33′32″W / 51.3211°N 0.5590°W /51.3211; -0.5590 |
| Built | 1983 |
| Architectural style(s) | Brutalist |
  Shown in Surrey | |
Woking Civic Offices is a municipal building in Gloucester Walk,Woking,Surrey, England. It is in use as the headquarters ofWoking Borough Council.
Following significant population growth, largely associated with the creation of various local institutions including adramatic college and aninvalid prison, the area became anurban district in 1894.[1] The new council initially established it offices in rented accommodation in The Broadway. However, after the rented accommodation was destroyed in a fire, the council moved to better accommodation in Commercial Road. New offices, designed in theneoclassical style, were built there in brick withashlar stone dressings and completed in 1905.[2] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of five bays facing Commercial Road. The central section of three bays featured a round headed doorway with a fanlight flanked bypilasters supporting abalcony; there was a French door on the first floor and a pediment containing a clock and twooculi above. The other bays were fenestrated withmullioned andtransomed windows.[3]
In the 1930s, with the increasing responsibilities of the council, the council leaders acquired a series of large houses in Guildford Road, Mount Herman Road and York Road to accommodate the extra staff.[4] As part of thereorganisation of local government in 1974, Woking became aborough for the first time.[5] In this context, the council leaders decided to commission new civic offices where all the staff would be co-located: they considered various sites including one in Guildford Road, but eventually selected a location adjacent to theBasingstoke Canal. The new building was designed in theBrutalist style, built in concrete and glass and was officially opened by theDuke of Gloucester on 20 April 1983.[3][6][7] The council moved its staff into the new building in June 1983.[8]
The design involved a six-storey rectangular wing adjacent to Victoria Way with a similar but shorter wing extending southeast from the northeast corner of the main wing. The two wings formed a pedestrian courtyard known as Gloucester Square. The main structure was supplemented by anoctagonal formation containing the council chamber, which wascantilevered out to the southwest, and allowed vehicular access at ground floor level. The boroughcoat of arms was installed on two of the external walls of this structure. Internally, the principal room was the council chamber which featured a stained-glass window behind the mayor's chair. The stained glass recalled various aspects of local history including the railway, the canal and the airport.[3] An emergency control centre was established in the basement of the building.[9][10]
An extensive programme of refurbishment works to a design by Robinson Kenning & Gallagher was completed in 2019.[11]
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