Shire Hall, Shinfield Park

For much of the 20th century the administration of Berkshire County Council had been carried out in the Old Shire Hall in The Forbury while meetings of the full council had taken place in the assize courts next door. Following implementation of the Local Government Act 1972, which increased the responsibilities of the county council, county leaders chose to procure a new purpose-built county headquarters: the site they initially selected was at Abbey Wharf off King's Road, but after considerable debate, they opted for a site which would be easier to develop on open land on the southern part of the Shinfield Park estate. The new Shire Hall, which was designed in the Brutalist style and built…