140-152 Walworth Road (geograph 4829275)

John Smith House is the former Labour Party headquarters at 144–152

Walworth Road The A215 is an A roads in Great Britain, A road in south London, starting at Elephant and Castle and finishing around Shirley, London, Shirley. It runs through the London Boroughs of London Borough of Lambeth, Lambeth, London Borough of Southw ...

in south

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The party first occupied the building in 1980, vacating its former headquarters at

Transport House Transport House was the headquarters of the Transport and General Workers' Union (T&G), and also originally of the Labour Party, the Trades Union Congress, and the Workers' Travel Association. The term "Transport House" was once a metonym for ...

. It was renamed in memory of John Smith, the former leader of the Labour Party who died in office in May 1994, less than two years after becoming leader.

History

Between 1995 and 1997, the Labour Party moved most of its functions from John Smith House to

Millbank Tower Millbank Tower is a high skyscraper in the City of Westminster at Millbank, by the River Thames in London. The tower was constructed in 1963, and has been home to many high-profile political organisations, including the Labour and Conservati ...

, which became its official headquarters at the end of 1997, shortly after it formed a new government after winning the

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

. The Labour Party Archive and Library moved in 1990 from Walworth Road to join the

People's History Museum The People's History Museum (the National Museum of Labour History until 2001) in Manchester, England, is the UK's national centre for the collection, conservation, interpretation and study of material relating to the history of working people ...

. John Smith House was formerly used by

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

Local Education Authority Local education authorities (LEAs) were local councils in England that are responsible for education within their jurisdiction. The term was used to identify which council (district or county) is locally responsible for education in a system wit ...

before becoming the party headquarters. Planning permission was granted in 2010 to turn it into the Safestay budget hotel, which opened in 2012.

Surrounds

Next door to John Smith House was the

Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions The Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions (CSEU), often known as the Confed is a trade union confederation in the United Kingdom. History The confederation was founded in December 1890 as the Federation of Engineering and Shipbuil ...

References

External links

* Local government buildings in London Grade II listed buildings in the London Borough of Southwark Labour Party (UK) facilities Headquarters of political parties John Smith (Labour Party leader) {{UK-poli-stub