Norfolk House, Wellesley Road

Image: © Stephen Richards Taken: 31 Jul 2011

Built 1958-59 to the designs of Howell & Brooks. Note the rather modish saw-tooth windows at the top and low curving section in front with styled fenestration. Currently, part of the building is a Travelodge hotel, the rest offices and shops. Between the 1950s and the 1970s Croydon experienced a burst of commercial development unparalleled anywhere else in the country. The impetus was provided by the Croydon Corporation Act of 1956 which gave Croydon Council powers to develop land in the borough. A combination of improved roads, government incentives to relocate from, and Croydon's proximity to, central London, and lower rents attracted employers in their droves. By 1970 about six million square feet of office space had been provided in central Croydon. Development has continued since, but at a much slower rate. From a distance the skyline is impressive (the nearest this country comes to Manhattan), but the problem is that few of the buildings are of architectural merit. The huge slab behind is this: Image

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