40 AND 42, KINGSWAY

40 and 42 Kingsway is an office block built between 1908 and 1909. The facade and hall were designed by Edwin Lutyens, while the plan was created by Pilditch and Company. The building is constructed of Portland stone with a rusticated ground floor and first and second floors, showcasing a modified Classical style.

It stands six storeys tall with an attic and has a double fronted design featuring three windows. The ground floor has square-headed openings flanked by Greek Doric order pilasters that rise through the ground and first floors. All windows are casements with leaded panes, except for the ground floor, which has plate glass. The left entrance features a keystone, while the right entrance has been replaced by a window. The second floor windows have vertically set sidelights, and the third and fourth floor windows are architraved. An entablature with a modillion cornice is present at the fifth floor level, where the windows have voussoirs and are flanked by enriched pilasters that support a secondary cornice below a balustraded parapet. The building is topped with a pediment flanked by chimney stacks.

The interior has not been inspected but is noted to contain a vaulted hall. This building was constructed for William Robinson, the proprietor of 'The Garden'.