Paddington Bear Experience at County Hall, London

 

Paddington Bear Experience at County Hall, London

As heritage consultants, we supported a listed building consent application for the refurbishment of the former Namco Funscape at County Hall and the insertion of a new Paddington Bear experience.

County Hall is situated on the south bank fronting the River Thames adjacent to the London Eye. Designed by Ralph Knott for the London City Council (LCC) and built between 1911-33, it was one the first public buildings built on the south Bank before WWII.

The proposed experience was to be situated in the basement and part of the ground floor of County Hall with access from the Thames Path. The proposals sought to introduce a new family attraction within an unused part of the building.

Our assessment of the building concluded that the basement and its interior made a limited contribution to the significance of the listed building and any architectural and historical interest is largely confined to its historic plan found in the extant historic red brick walls.

The proposals were granted planning permission in early 2023 and the new family attraction opened to the public in summer 2023.

Client: Prepared for Gamepath Entertainment Entertainment
Photo (top): Reading Tom, CC BY 2.0