Bradford and Bingley head office

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bradford & Bingley PLC Corporate HQ
Bradford & Bingley PLC Corporate HQ

Bradford & Bingley Head Office was constructed to accommodate the merger of Bingley Permanent Building Society and Bradford Equitable Building Society. It houses the main offices of Bradford & Bingley PLC. The original offices of Bingley Permanent Building Society were kept as a wing of the new building. Its position and size dominates the town centre of Bingley, West Yorkshire and it is a landmark visible for miles around. It is covered with the characteristic yellow Yorkshire stone used for many other buildings in the area.

Overlooking the town, standing three storeys taller than any other building in the town centre, its supporters claim its iconic presence gives a modern identity to Bingley. However in recent years, as fashions in architecture have developed, public opinion would appear to have changed, detractors claiming the building looks out of place. The Knowhere Guide calls it "the most huge uninspired concrete abortion ever to be erected" reflecting the opinion of many of the locals. The Headquarters building was once voted the UK's ugliest building by Prince Charles.

The company after many years of reckless lending to buy-to-let investors in the UK, started June 2008 in severe dificulties, even having to reduce the already underwritten price of it's rights issue from 82p to 55p.