Pricing Change
New pricing for orders of material from this site will come into place shortly. Charges for supply of digital images, digitisation on demand, prints and licensing will be altered.
Tyne And Wear, Newcastle Upon Tyne, St. Nicholas Avenue, Proctor And Gamble Offices
Commercial Office (20th Century)
Site Name Tyne And Wear, Newcastle Upon Tyne, St. Nicholas Avenue, Proctor And Gamble Offices
Classification Commercial Office (20th Century)
Alternative Name(s) The Grove; Wentworth Grange
Canmore ID 289175
Site Number NZ26SW 4
NGR NZ 2480 6790
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/289175
- Council Not Applicable
- Parish Not Applicable
- Former Region Not Applicable
- Former District Not Applicable
- Former County Not Applicable
Building Notes
At the end of 1961 Proctor and Gamble approached the Edinburgh office of Basil Spence & Partners (later Sir Basil Spence Glover & Ferguson) to extend their head offices at Gosford which would allow them to house the majority of their staff, who were at that time spread around the city, on one site. They required a building which would hold their projected 1970 staff numbers as well as a new computer system which was to be installed as soon as possible. They also wanted to show the capability for further expansion to meet their 1985 requirements. They project was intended to be carried out in three phases: 1. Computer Block; 2. Extension to the main building to house the Canteen; and 3. New ten-storey office block.
Consent was given for the two-storey computer block in August 1962 and the building was completed in March 1963.
It is unclear whether or not phase two was carried out but the project ran into problems with phase 3. The office is situated in a residential area and the local community backed by the local authority protested that a ten storey office block was inappropriate for the suburban setting in which it would sit. The Computer Block has been demolished.
Archive Details
The manuscripts held in the Sir Basil Spence Archive show that before the scheme got the go ahead, the design team had to prove to the management that they could accommodate both the 1970 and 1985 projected requirements on-site. There is also correspondence relating to the objections of the local authorities. The manuscripts also include a profile of Thomas Hedley & Co Limited, a firm acquired by Proctor and Gamble in the 1930s.
Archive Summary
The Sir Basil Spence Archive holds six manuscript folders including two news-cuttings. 24 photographs held in the Archive include views of the model which show the surrounding area as well close ups of the proposed building. There are also interior views of the completed computer block. 13 drawings for this project include parking layouts and details of office furniture layouts.
The Spence Glover & Ferguson Collection, also held at RCAHMS, contains six additional drawings and two photographs.
This text was written as one of the outputs of the Sir Basil Spence Archive Project, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, 2005-08.
