Happy 60th Birthday Walton Street Tower!
On October 22nd 1964, the foundation stone of the new County Hall was laid by the Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire, Sir Henry Floyd. Just two years later, on October 21st 1966, the tower was complete, meaning this month it celebrates its 60th birthday.
The Walton Street tower, or New County Hall, was built to replace the old County Hall which sits on the opposite side of the road. Council leaders had decided that the old County Hall was inadequate for its needs, and that a new premises was required. Costing £956,000 (around £15 million in todays money) the new building comprised a tower of 15 floors to sit above a complex containing the library, register office and county record office. Often attributed to County Architect Fred Pooley, the building was actually designed by Malcom Dean, with assistance from Malcolm Last and Martin Jones. As County Architect, Fred Pooley approved the designs, and the tower subsequently obtained the nicknames ‘Fred’s Fort’ or ‘Pooley’s Folley’.
The tower is built in a style of architecture known as “brutalist”, a mid 20th century architectural style which emerged in the 1950s during the mass rebuilding after WW2. The style, with its raw, unpainted, concrete materials with geometric functional design was immediately controversial, and remains a “marmite” topic, you either love it or hate it! Famous examples include the Barbican Estate in London, the Park Hill flats in Sheffield and of course our very own Walton Street New County Offices! International examples include the Robarts library in Toronto, the Teresa Carreño cultural centre in Caracas and numerous public buildings across eastern Europe (residential, educational and governmental).
The Walton Street tower remains a landmark in an otherwise predominantly low rise town. Visible from all directions, the building sits in the landscape as a directional marker, and equally affords spectacular views across the town and surrounding areas. Council staff often comment on the joy of taking in the views, witnessing the ever changing Buckinghamshire weather and of course the up close and personal acrobatics of our resident peregrine falcons.
Each September we share our exclusive views by offering tours of the tower as part of the Heritage Open Days. This year we welcomed more than 100 visitors, many of whom live in Aylesbury, but some who had travelled from further afield. This year we even had a visitor who came all the way from Dubai! We love sharing stories about the building with our visitors, but equally we love the new stories which we learn through our guests. Friends and family of people who designed and built the tower, old colleagues, locals who can point out their house to us. We learn as much as we share on these weekends.
Visitors enjoying the view from the 11th floor
Love it or loath it, the Walton Street tower remains an icon of Aylesbury.