Frames Coach Station And London Borough Of Camden Car Park

CAMDEN

TQ3082SW HERBRAND STREET 798-1/95/827 (West side) 09/03/82 Frames Coach Station and LB Camden Car Park

II

Car park and coach station. 1931. By Wallis, Gilbert and Partners. For Daimler Car Hire Ltd. Reinforced concrete construction. "Modernistic" 4-storey garage with attached offices, lift blocks and ramp. EXTERIOR: garage with large rectangular metal framed windows of small horizontally set lights set between plain concrete continuous horizontal bands at floor levels and divided by channelled concrete pilaster strips, the channelling corresponding with the horizontally set lights. Ground floor entrance bays. Attached to left, a lift shaft with narrow vertically set window, above a door, rising the height of the shaft. 3 and 2 storeys of offices with similar fenestration to the garage, the 1st floor above an entrance bay on the diagonal right return. Parapet of lower level articulated with narrow vertical niches. Ground floor of pavement facade with deep rectangular window recess beneath central 1st floor window and small rectangular recess to the left. Moulded concrete and coloured inset faience decorative detail. At the right angle, a semicircular stair turret, with door and small window, to offices above. To the right, a projecting lift shaft, the central, narrow vertically set window emphasised with vertical strips of coloured faience and moulded concrete balcony at the base, above 3 square-headed entrances. 3 corner windows at each floor level on the left hand angle light the adjoining stair. Attached to the right of the lift, a sweeping spiral ramp (giving access to the upper floors) expressed externally and emphasised by windows (similar to the garage) which follow the rake of the ramp through 3 storeys. Vehicle entrance next to base of lift shaft. Single storey coach station entrance to the right with later doors and fascia above. INTERIOR: not inspected. HISTORICAL NOTE: Daimler-owned cars were stored on the upper floors while the basement was used as a car park, for privately owned cars, with a waiting-room, attendant's office, lavatories and telephones. Each floor had an electrically operated pressure washing plant for the cars.

Listing NGR: TQ3012082177