Southwark Towers
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Southwark Towers was a high rise building at 32 London Bridge Street, designed by TP Bennett architects, overlooking London Bridge station, in Southwark, London. When it was demolished in 2008 to make way for The Shard, it was jointly the tallest building ever to have been demolished in the United Kingdom, alongside the Drapers' Gardens tower.
History
Completed in 1975,<ref>"Change of Address" (classified advertisement by Price Waterhouse & Co.), The Times, 1975-12-01, p.22</ref> it was Template:Convert tall and had 25 floors<ref name="ssp">Template:Cite web</ref> in three wings. Southwark Towers was formerly the London office of Price Waterhouse before it merged with Coopers & Lybrand in 1998.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The property attracted some political interest in the 1970s when the developer, Peachey Property Corporation ('PPC'), got into financial difficulties. It was subsequently alleged that the transaction to develop the property might not have been entered into on an arm's length basis and that there might have been an element of bounty or kindness from PPC to Price Waterhouse, who happened to be PPC's auditors. Department of Trade inspectors dismissed the allegations.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1998 the building was acquired by Irvine Sellar, a property developer.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2008,<ref name="ssp" /> the building was demolished to make way for The Shard.<ref name=GulfTi2012>Template:Cite web</ref> The typical way to demolish a building in the United Kingdom is by implosion, but due to its close proximity to Guy's Hospital and other buildings, Southwark Towers was instead taken apart in pieces. It was the tallest building ever to have been demolished in the United Kingdom.<ref name=ssnews>Template:Cite web</ref>