3M Building (Winchester House) Demolition: Another Bracknell Landmark Disappears

Bracknell’s landscape is in a state of metamorphosis – and soon it will lose the feature that has defined its panorama for almost fifty years.

Winchester House (or as the locals have always, and will always remember it, the “3M Building”) is being demolished. Demolition works began on December 1st 2014 and will continue for around eight weeks.

I stopped by last week to capture some of its last moments (at the same time giving a début to my new 50mm lens). Seeing the building without an eighth of its original size made me feel more than a tinge of sadness. In a clichéd kind of way, it felt like a part of my childhood was being ripped down along with that stairwell. And without the shadow of the 3M logo peering over Bracknell I began to fear for the sake of the town’s industrial heritage.

Whether you knew the 3M Building as “Bracknell’s biggest eyesore” or as Bracknell Town Centre’s most iconic building, one thing is certain – Bracknell has lost its motif. The black, white and yellow of Winchester House will be a hard trademark to replace.

Join me again soon when I will be writing a short piece on the history of Winchester House.