The Lanark County Buildings, also referred to as the South Lanarkshire Council Headquarters, is a

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-l ...

facility in Hamilton, Scotland.

History

Originally the headquarters of

Lanark County Council Lanark (; gd, Lannraig ; sco, Lanrik) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, located 20 kilometres to the south-east of Hamilton. The town lies on the River Clyde, at its confluence with Mouse Water. In 2016, the town had a population of 9, ...

(which had previously been based at Lanarkshire House in Ingram Street in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

), between 1975 and 1996 it served the same function for the

Strathclyde Strathclyde ( in Gaelic, meaning "strath (valley) of the River Clyde") was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government et ...

region's Lanark sub-region (which oversaw five smaller districts, including one for the Hamilton area based at the nearby

Townhouse A townhouse, townhome, town house, or town home, is a type of terraced housing. A modern townhouse is often one with a small footprint on multiple floors. In a different British usage, the term originally referred to any type of city residence ...

) then for the South Lanarkshire local authority since then. Construction of the structure, which was undertaken by Laing Group to a design by the Lanarkshire County Architect, David Gordon Bannerman, in the

International International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

(

Modernist Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

) style, started in 1959; completed in 1964 with a ceremonial opening by

the Queen Mother ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

, the complex features a 17-storey office block, a separate debating chamber in a rotunda and an external plaza with fountains. Category A

listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

, the

modernist Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

design was influenced by the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

building in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. Glass curtain walls cover the north and south facades, with the narrow east and west sides being blank white walls. Occupying a prominent position where the A72 and A724 roads meet within the Hamilton West district north of the town's historic centre, its upper floors offer views over the

M74 motorway The A74(M) and M74 form a major motorway in Scotland, connecting it to England. The routes connect the M8 motorway in central Glasgow to the Scottish-English border at Gretna. In conjunction with their southward continuation, the M6 motorw ...

, much of Lanarkshire and parts of

Greater Glasgow Greater Glasgow is an urban settlement in Scotland consisting of all localities which are physically attached to the city of Glasgow, forming with it a single contiguous urban area (or conurbation). It does not relate to municipal government ...

, and in turn it is the area's tallest building (slightly higher than the numerous residential

tower blocks A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, residential tower, apartment block, block of flats, or office tower is a tall building, as opposed to a low-rise building and is defined differently in terms of height depending on the jurisdicti ...

in nearby Motherwell, although some of those have more floors) and one of its most recognisable features. Immediately to the east is the neo-classical Hamilton Sheriff Court building, also Category A listed.

References

External links

*{{commonscat-inline Government buildings completed in 1964 1964 establishments in Scotland Buildings and structures in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire International style architecture in Scotland Category A listed buildings in South Lanarkshire Listed government buildings in Scotland County halls in Scotland

History

See also

References

External links