Taberner House

Taberner House houses the main offices of Croydon Council. It is in Central Croydon, London, close to the old Town Hall (now the Croydon Clocktower).

History

Taberner House was built between 1964 and 1967, designed by architect H. Thornley, with Allan Holt and Hugh Lea as borough engineers. Although the council had needed extra space since the 1920s, it was only with the imminent creation of the London Borough of Croydon that action was taken. The building is in classic 1960s style, praised at the time but subsequently much derided. It has its elegant upper slab block narrowing towards both ends, a formal device which has been compared to the famous Pirelli Tower of MilanFact|date=May 2008. It famously had all its pink carpets removed and replaced by magenta ones just days before its official opening on the grounds that the designers wanted "a completely different colour." It was named after Ernest Taberner OBE, Town Clerk from 1937 to 1963.

Taberner House now houses most of the council's central employees and its 'one-stop shop' is the main location for the public to access information and services, particularly with respect to housing.

On Wednesday 10 November 2004 a 28-year-old man was arrested in connection with arson and public order offences following a fire at Taberner House. Staff were evacuated from the building for three hours after smoke was spotted coming from a ground floor toilet. The man was bailed to return to Croydon police station at a later date pending further inquiries [ [http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk/search/display.var.544422.0.taberner_house_fire_arrest.php Taberner House Fire Arrest (from Croydon Guardian) ] ] . The council is thinking of selling off Taberner House to make more parking space for developments like Park Place.Fact|date=May 2008

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