Colliers Wood Tower
Colliers Wood is dominated by the "Colliers Wood Tower". Originally named the "Lyon Tower", it was originally occupied as the headquarters of property company Ronald Lyon Holdings but has also been known as "The Vortex" and the "Brown & Root Tower". When being built, the tower reached the third storey before an error in construction was discovered and it was demolished to begin again.
It was voted the ugliest building in London in a 2006 BBC poll and one of the 12 ugliest in the UK in a 2005 Channel 4 poll for its programme Demolition. The same BBC poll quoted an architect working for Golfrate Property Management, the current owners, as saying the building was due a make-over and new lease of life.
By 2009, the ground and first floor windows and doors had been boarded up, and green netting has been attached across each end to prevent falling debris causing injury to passers by. Demolition of the adjacent spiral car park began in April 2010, but due to complications with an electrical substation was halted soon after, with half the car park still standing. By June 2011 the car park was eventually demolished entirely.
In Spring 2011, two small samples of decorative cladding were fitted. These were much a lighter colour than the underlying concrete surface and would change the look of the Tower significantly if installed across the building.
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The Colliers Wood Tower
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The Colliers Wood Tower - unoccupied
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River Wandle with the Tower behind
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