OLD DEVONPORT . UK
www.olddevonport.uk
 

ROYAL DOCKYARD  |  NORTH YARD

CENTRAL OFFICE BLOCKS COB1 and COB2

After the Ministry of Defence (Navy) had taken over responsibility for the Royal Dockyard from the Admiralty, it was decided to replace the old Central Offices with two new buildings.  These were planned for the area outside the Albert Road Gate that had previously been William Street.  It had been taken inside the Dockyard boundary in 1959.

Work began on the first phase, a three-storey glass and reinforced concrete structure, in November 1964.  It was designed by the Ministry of Public Building and Works and the ground level covered an area of 34,364 square feet.  Messrs Humphreys Limited, of Plymouth, carried out the construction.

On Thursday September 29th 1966 the staffs of the combined Drawing Offices, the Finance Manager's Department and the Superintending Naval Store Officer's Department started to move into the building.  By the following Monday it was fully functional.

The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Plymouth, Mr and Mrs Percival D Pascho, officially declared the building open on Friday October 21st 1966,which happened to be Trafalgar Day.  The first stage had cost £460,000.

Phase 2, the 110 feet high, ten-storey block, was taken over from the contractor on July 21st 1970.

They were known as Central Office Block 1 and 2, abbreviated to COB1 and COB2.

Both blocks have now been closed and demolished.  Work on COB2 was started on Friday June 14th 2019 by Messrs John F Hunt Limited, of Grays, Essex, using a 130 tonne, 42-metre tall Zaxis 870 excavator.