23 July 2002: The Queen opens a new London landmark and attends a gala performance at Covent Garden City Hall, the brand new home of the Greater London Authority, received the Royal seal of approval on Tuesday 23 July 2002, when The Queen declared the stylish riverside building officially open for assembly business. Designed by British architect Norman Foster, the building resembles a futuristic glass egg beside Tower Bridge on the south bank of the Thames. It is set to become a key landmark on the rejuvenated south side of the river. The Royal party was welcomed to the Greater London Authority's new headquarters by Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London and Trevor Phillips, Chair of the London Assembly.   At the formal opening ceremony in the Chamber, The Queen paid tribute to London as a metropolis. "London's ability to combine the old and the new - embracing continuity and change down the centuries - is one of the many qualities which puts it amongst the great cities of the world."  Her Majesty also wished the assembly success in its work. "The Greater London Authority is a new kind of government with an executive Mayor who sets the strategies and policies of the Authority and with an Assembly whose role is to scrutinize the decisions of the Mayor. Your new building, which is so clearly based on ideas of openness and accessibility, will provide an exciting forum for Londoners as your debates ebb and flow."  The Queen then unveiled a plaque in the Chamber. Eighty years earlier King George V, The Queen's grandfather, had opened the last seat of London government, County Hall.  The Queen and Prince Philip then embarked on a tour of the new building starting at the Chamber - the heart of the new building - and London's Living Room at the top of City Hall. During the visit The Queen met the Mayor of Berlin, Mayor Wowereit, Mayor Delanoe of Paris, and the First Deputy of Moscow, Vladimir Resin, all in London for the opening. Back in the reception area The Queen viewed a model of the building, met London Assembly Members and opened the visitor book with her signature. The book will be displayed in the reception for future visitors to City Hall to sign. Outside the building Mr Phillips and the Mayor accompanied The Queen and Prince Philip on an impromptu walkabout outside. City Hall enjoys a superb location opposite the Tower of London and alongside Tower Bridge on The Queen's Walk. While they met well-wishers, carnival performers provided a colourful spectacular against the backdrop of City Hall and members of the emergency services laid on a water pageant on the Thames. In the evening The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh attended a Gala at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Among the dancers in a packed Jubilee programme was renowned British ballerina Darcey Bussell. Read the full text of The Queen's speech at City Hall (pdf, 141kB)      Back to July index