Transport House was the headquarters of the

Transport and General Workers' Union The Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU or T&G) was one of the largest general trade unions in the United Kingdom and Ireland – where it was known as the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union (ATGWU) to differentiate its ...

(T&G), and also originally of the Labour Party, the

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in England and Wales, representing the majority of trade unions. There are 48 affiliated unions, with a total of about 5.5 million members. Frances ...

, and the Workers' Travel Association. The term "Transport House" was once a metonym for both Labour Party Headquarters and the T&G. The building located on

Smith Square Smith Square is a square in Westminster, London, 250 metres south-southwest of the Palace of Westminster. Most of its garden interior is filled by St John's, Smith Square, a Baroque surplus church, which has inside converted to a concert hall ...

and Dean Bradley Street,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

was actually owned by the T&G and officially opened in May 1928. The T&G started to occupy it from 1926, moving from their first headquarters in Matthew Parker Street. The TUC moved out to

Congress House Congress House is the headquarters of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), a British organisation that represents most of the UK's trade unions. It is also an events venue, Congress Centre. In 1948, David du Roi Aberdeen won an architectural compe ...

between 1956 and 1958. The Labour Party moved out in 1980, transferring its headquarters to what later became known as '' John Smith House''. The T&G remained until the 1990s, when they moved to a modern building on Theobalds Road,

Holborn Holborn ( or ) is a district in central London, which covers the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Camden and a part ( St Andrew Holborn Below the Bars) of the Ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London. The area has its root ...

, which is now also known as Transport House. The original building is now called Local Government House and houses the headquarters of the Local Government Association and a

conference centre A convention center (American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typica ...

. The local headquarters of the T&G in a number of other cities were also called Transport House.

References

Buildings and structures in the City of Westminster Exhibition and conference centres in London Labour Party (UK) facilities British trade unions history Headquarters of political parties Transport and General Workers' Union Local government buildings in London {{London-struct-stub