Bishopsgate Institute And Library

Bishopsgate Institute and Library, formerly listed as the front half only of Bishopsgate Institute, was built in 1894 by Harrison Townsend. The building features a narrow entrance with a large hall behind it, flanked by a corridor and a secondary entrance, all designed with buff terra cotta. The wide, round-arched doorway is supported by small columns made of polished granite, with narrow windows on either side and a pair of lamps mounted on decorative iron brackets. Above, large mullioned and transomed windows are flanked by polygonal turrets with shaped tops. The steep slated roof has complicated eaves, and the elevation facing Brushfield Street is irregular.

The structure is two storeys high and constructed of red brick and terra cotta, with arched entrances and most window openings. The interior is plain, featuring some glazed tiles in the entrance lobby and corridor. The hall is illuminated by pairs of arched windows at clerestorey level, supported by ornamental brackets that hold up the beamed ceiling. There is a partially recessed dais with an organ above, and the walls are simply panelled with wainscot below. The rear part of the building is not of special interest. The Fort Street frontage is styled similarly to the Brushfield Street elevations, using the same materials.