ON September 26, 1968, a foundation stone was laid for the National & Provincial Building Society. Building work on the £1 million headquarters began in 1969.
In September 2002, after two decades looking out over the city, the landmark was demolished in just two seconds.
A hush fell on the city centre as more than 1,500 detonating charges triggered the 90kg of explosives which had been packed into the building’s major structural columns in previous months.
In a cloud of dust, Provincial House was rubble.
Here we look back on the city centre building, which was both loved and loathed.
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