Central St Martin'S College Of Art And Design

The Central St Martin's College of Art and Design, also encompassing Theobalds Row, is a building of group value, constructed between 1905 and 1908. It was designed by the London County Council Architects' Department, General Section, with job architect AH Verstage, and shows the influence of WR Lethaby. The building is primarily of Cornish granite at its base, with upper storeys in Portland stone, and has a lead roof.

The building is five storeys high with a corner attic. The long facade facing Southampton Row has fourteen windows, while the short returns to Theobalds Road and High Holborn have six and three windows respectively. The ground floor features round-headed windows and impost bands with rectangular granite slabs, originally intended for relief carvings. The first and second floors have windows of varying widths, slightly recessed and unified under round-headed arches. The third floor mirrors this design with similar windows between string courses. The fourth floor has small, square windows alternating with decorative stone grilles in a lozenge shape, featuring inset circles. A heavy, bracketed cornice tops the building. The canted corner exhibits elaborate detailing, including a variety of window styles leading to a high, ogee double dome in lead. A small sculpture on the ground floor depicts a woman with a sword, supporting the coats of arms of St George and the City of London, dated 1908 and displaying the inscription "Labor omnia vincit." A former entrance to the London Day Training College, previously located on Southampton Row and now blocked, is marked by a slightly projecting bay above it and a raised, curved main cornice. The current entrance to the art college, towards Theobalds Road, is of a similar style, with sliding wooden doors featuring enriched panelling. Above the door, bronze lettering reads "LCC Central School of Arts & Crafts."

The interior is notable for its spatial design. A vaulted entrance hall is faced in Hopton Wood stone, and a generous main staircase is similarly lined. The exhibition hall is rectangular with canted ends; it’s partly vaulted, springing from a single central column, and partly covered by a glazed dome.

Historically, the building served as the Central School of Arts and Crafts (northern section) and the London Day Training College (southern section). WR Lethaby, Principal of the Central School at the time of construction, is commemorated by a blue plaque on the Southampton Row elevation.