Fanum House
Encyclopedia
Fanum House is the headquarters of The Automobile Association
in Basingstoke
in the English
county of Hampshire
. It is one of several AA buildings named "Fanum House" around the country. The original Headquarters in Leicester Square was also called Fanum House, 'Fanum' being the callsign of the AA.
The AA took advantage of 1960s government incentives to move from their London HQ to the rapidly-expanding town of Basingstoke. The building was completed in 1970 and AA employees moved in at that point, and it was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth
in 1973. It is an 83 Meter (274 Feet), eighteen storey, building (seventeen of offices plus a viewing gallery on top). It is clearly visible from the M3 motorway from some distance away. The name 'Fanum' is a Latin word for temple and was chosen to reflect the AA's status as the UK's premier motor breakdown company.
The Skyline Plaza development in the town centre replaces it as the tallest building in Basingstoke since it was extended from 61 meter to 85 meters with the additon of 3 floors in 2009
The 17th floor was originally executive offices with its own bar, but is now the same layout as the other floors in the tower block. There was also a bar in the 2nd floor canteen when the building first opened, though this closed some years ago.
There is no floor 1, the ground floor is known as 'Upper Ground' and the 'Lower Ground' basement floor is about half the size of the floors in the tower block. The first floor up in the lift or stairs is called Floor 2. The Upper Ground floor is much larger than the floors in the tower block, with a huge open-plan flat-roof office area, a coffee bar, shop, learning centre and a theatre which is used for company presentations. The building also has a large undercover car park, notorious with employees for its very narrow parking spaces. There is an undercover connecting walkway from the car park to the Upper Ground floor.
Floor 10 is not offices, rather a power supply and building control floor. AA employees generally do not have access to this floor. It is clearly visible from outside after dark as there is one floor which is clearly in darkness.
The AA's HQ moved to the purpose-built Norfolk House
on the edge of the Basingstoke ring road at the A340 junction in the mid-1990s, with the intention of closing Fanum House altogether. However the new offices were not large enough for all the Basingstoke-based employees, and both buildings operated for a period. It was ultimately Norfolk House that closed in 2002, following the takeover of the AA by Centrica
in 1999, when the HQ functions moved to Farnborough
. In 2005, the headquarters returned to Fanum House.
The Automobile Association
The Automobile Association , a British motoring association founded in 1905 was demutualised in 1999 to become a private limited company which currently provides car insurance, driving lessons, breakdown cover, loans and motoring advice, and other services...
in Basingstoke
Basingstoke
Basingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, in south central England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2008 it had an estimated population of...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. It is one of several AA buildings named "Fanum House" around the country. The original Headquarters in Leicester Square was also called Fanum House, 'Fanum' being the callsign of the AA.
The AA took advantage of 1960s government incentives to move from their London HQ to the rapidly-expanding town of Basingstoke. The building was completed in 1970 and AA employees moved in at that point, and it was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
in 1973. It is an 83 Meter (274 Feet), eighteen storey, building (seventeen of offices plus a viewing gallery on top). It is clearly visible from the M3 motorway from some distance away. The name 'Fanum' is a Latin word for temple and was chosen to reflect the AA's status as the UK's premier motor breakdown company.
The Skyline Plaza development in the town centre replaces it as the tallest building in Basingstoke since it was extended from 61 meter to 85 meters with the additon of 3 floors in 2009
The 17th floor was originally executive offices with its own bar, but is now the same layout as the other floors in the tower block. There was also a bar in the 2nd floor canteen when the building first opened, though this closed some years ago.
There is no floor 1, the ground floor is known as 'Upper Ground' and the 'Lower Ground' basement floor is about half the size of the floors in the tower block. The first floor up in the lift or stairs is called Floor 2. The Upper Ground floor is much larger than the floors in the tower block, with a huge open-plan flat-roof office area, a coffee bar, shop, learning centre and a theatre which is used for company presentations. The building also has a large undercover car park, notorious with employees for its very narrow parking spaces. There is an undercover connecting walkway from the car park to the Upper Ground floor.
Floor 10 is not offices, rather a power supply and building control floor. AA employees generally do not have access to this floor. It is clearly visible from outside after dark as there is one floor which is clearly in darkness.
The AA's HQ moved to the purpose-built Norfolk House
Norfolk House, Basingstoke
Norfolk House was the headquarters of The Automobile Association from the mid-1990s until its closure in 2003. It was originally intended to replace Fanum House as the AA's HQ, but ultimately the building was not large enough to accommodate all Basingstoke-based employees and both buildings...
on the edge of the Basingstoke ring road at the A340 junction in the mid-1990s, with the intention of closing Fanum House altogether. However the new offices were not large enough for all the Basingstoke-based employees, and both buildings operated for a period. It was ultimately Norfolk House that closed in 2002, following the takeover of the AA by Centrica
Centrica
Centrica plc is a multinational utility company, based in the United Kingdom but also with interests in North America. Centrica is the largest supplier of gas to domestic customers in the UK, and one of the largest suppliers of electricity, operating under the trading names "Scottish Gas" in...
in 1999, when the HQ functions moved to Farnborough
Farnborough, Hampshire
-History:Name changes: Ferneberga ; Farnburghe, Farenberg ; Farnborowe, Fremborough, Fameborough .Tower Hill, Cove: There is substantial evidence...
. In 2005, the headquarters returned to Fanum House.