Oriel Chambers

Oriel Chambers is an office building located on Water Street, constructed in 1864 by P. Ellis. It stands four storeys high with a basement and features seven bays on the main facade and twelve bays facing Covent Garden. The building has a cast iron frame with stone cladding. The shafts rise from the ground floor and culminate in pinnacles that project above the parapet. The tall openings are adorned with nailhead moulding and shafts, housing three canted oriels with stone bases and iron glazed tripartite windows topped with canted heads. The fifth bay includes an entrance with a stone plaque and an octagonal window above it. A label-moulded parapet and a three-bay central shaped gable with a Jacobean finial enhance the design, with the gable featuring a date panel, an octagonal window, and heraldic arms. The Covent Garden facade is similarly detailed. The entrance to Oriel Close is located in the first bay. The rear elevation showcases continuous oriels across the storeys, which are cantilevered out from the frame and canted at both the top and bottom. This building is notable for its pioneering use of expressed cast iron construction.