The Warley building in Essex was opened in 1964 as the Central Office for Ford of Britain, and later also for Ford of Europe.
It was built on the site of army barracks of the Essex Regiment, abandoned in 1958.
These pictures here have been selected from a 295-image record of the building's construction and commissioning.
The office closed in 2019.
Since closure, the building has been at the centre of a large housing development .
Its model, World Headquarters in Dearborn, near Detroit, is suffering a more drastic fate—demolition.
See our footnote.
Vision for a central office building, based on World Headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan.Army barracks in 1960. The chapel is to the left.Barrack Road (later Eagle Way) runs through the army site.Army barracks are demolished in 1960.Ford foundations are laid in 1962.The new building rises. In the background is the Essex Regiment chapel, which remains today.In early 1964, the building's shell has reached penthouse level. The main entrance canopy is installed.Construction work continues in April 1964, despite wintry conditions.
In the background is the former army officers' mess, converted to the Marillac Care Centre in 1963.The army parade ground becomes an employee car park.Retirees help with bricklaying.The snack bar (later removed) under construction.The future managers' car park has been marked out.The building is now ready for occupation.Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother presents new colours to the 3rd East Anglian Regiment (successor to the Essex Regiment) in 1989.A reminder of the site's distinguished history.At the typing pool, before the age of personal computers.Looking into the board room. The telephone switchboard, when most external calls were connected by operator.Data centre line printers, when the paperless society was a distant prospect.
Mass storage. The company's data was held on magnetic tape.
Members of the England team for the FIFA World Cup 1970 visit their Ford sponsor.The Warley building in its final form, following the 1986 addition of the 'new' data centre on the east side. Warley Central Office, now a lost name plate.
Footnote: Bulldozers now head for World Headquarters
Ford travellers to the US will be familiar with the 12-storey building on Michigan
Avenue in Dearborn—the model for Warley Central Office. It was once the largest single-company office structure in the United States.
and was a traveller's first stop because it was where they collected their company car.
WHQ is being replaced by a better-connected and more flexible structure on the nearby Product Development campus.
It will be within 15 mnutes walking time for 14,000 Ford workers.
The campus has been named The Henry Ford II World Center.
The new building will be opened in November 2025 and the old structure will be decommissioned and demolished
over an 18-month period.
