Sandyford House

Sandyford House is a large office development on Sandyford Road in Sandyford, Newcastle upon Tyne. It was the offices and meeting place of Tyne and Wear County Council from its formation in 1974 until it was abolished in 1986.

Sandyford House
Sandyford House (on the extreme left), Scottish Life House (in the foreground) and Archbold House (on the right)
Sandyford House
Location within Tyne and Wear
General information
Architectural styleBrutalist style
AddressSandyford, Newcastle upon Tyne
CountryUnited Kingdom
Coordinates54.9815°N 1.6058°W / 54.9815; -1.6058
Completedc.1974

History

The building formed part of a wider initiative in the early 1970s to redevelop a residential area known as Archbold Terrace.[1] Sandyford House itself was a 6-storey office block at the back (i.e. north) of the site: the complex also included a 6-storey office block at the front left (i.e. south west) known as Scottish Life House and a 10-storey tower block at the front right (i.e. south east) known as Archbold House[2] as well as a public house, which was integrated into Sandyford House, known as the Royal Archer.[3] The design of the public house was commended by the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1976.[3]

Sandyford House, which was designed in the brutalist style and built by Sir Robert McAlpine with a reinforced concrete frame, was completed in c.1974.[4] The design of the complex allowed vehicle access to Sandyford House from the south through an opening in the main frontage of Scottish Life House; Sandyford House became the offices and meeting place of Tyne and Wear County Council when it was formed in April 1974.[5] The punk comic Viz, established by Chris Donald in 1979, was also based in the complex.[6][7]

After Tyne and Wear County Council was abolished in 1986, Sandyford House was adapted for use by the Department of Social Security.[8] In the 1990s a 5-story block on the east side of the complex was occupied by the energy efficiency business, Eaga, and became known as "Eaga House".[9] The whole complex was acquired by the developer, Jomast, in 2004,[10] who branded it Jesmond Three Sixty.[11] After Eaga moved to Partnership House in Gosforth in 2009, Jomast submitted proposals to Newcastle City Council for the conversion of Eaga House into apartments, a project which was completed in January 2016.[6] The developer went on to present proposals for the conversion of Sandyford House into apartments as well in December 2017.[12][13]

Following the acquisition and demolition of the former Quaker Meeting House, located on an adjacent site on the east side, Jomast also presented proposals to build an 18-storey tower in the area.[14]

References
  1. "Ordnance Survey Map". 1970. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  2. "Archbold House Archbold Terrace Jesmond 1973". Newcastle Libraries. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  3. "Jesmond, Archbold Terrace, Royal Archer Public House". Site Lines. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  4. Photograph dated 1973 on the Skyscraper City website
  5. Darvill, Timothy (1987). Ancient Monuments in the Countryside: An archaeological management review. English Heritage. p. 172. ISBN 9781850741671.
  6. "Multi-million pound scheme to turn Jesmond offices in luxury flats and shops". Chronicle Live. 20 November 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  7. "North East History" (PDF). North East Labour History Society. 2014. p. 206. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  8. "End of the metropolitan line: County councils face an uncertain future". The Independent. 13 August 1992. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  9. "Plans in for Eaga House Redevelopment". Inside Media. 8 November 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  10. "£15m residential scheme to complete emerging quarter of Newcastle". Business News North East. 9 July 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  11. "Plans for new £15m Newcastle housing development unveiled". Bdaily. 9 July 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  12. "Decision due on 15-storey tower". Inside Media. 14 December 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  13. "Former Jesmond offices to be turned into 15-storey apartment block for city living". Chronicle Live. 21 December 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  14. "18-storey residential development unveiled for prestigious Newcastle site". Business Live. 9 July 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
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