Tower Building

The Tower Building, located at No. 22 Water Street, is a Grade II* listed office building with a shopping arcade, designed by Aubrey Thomas and completed in 1906. This striking structure features five storeys and attics, with three bays and curved corner bays, and an impressive eight-storey facade along the Strand. It is constructed with a steel frame, clad in grey granite and white faience, with a granite ground floor. The bays are accentuated by polygonal turrets, and all windows are designed with mullions, arranged in a 5:4:5 light configuration. The ground floor windows include a first-floor oriel bay and a balcony above a double portal of round arches. The building is topped with a cornice and balustrade, with scrolls adorning the balustrades on the attics. The Strand facade mirrors this design, featuring full-height canted oriels over round-headed arches in the center and at the ends, with the left bay leading to Tower Gardens and the center bay leading to the arcade, which has segmental-headed three-light windows. The top storey is recessed with a parapet, while the end tower stands two storeys high with corner turrets and a parapet, and the central tower is octagonal and three storeys tall, also featuring corner turrets. This building is notable for being one of the first steel-framed structures in the country.