Bishopsgate Institute and Library is a Grade II* listed building in the City of London local planning authority area, England. First listed on 16 July 1964. Institute and library. 24 related planning applications.
Bishopsgate Institute and Library
- WRENN ID
- hallowed-footing-plover
- Grade
- II*
- Local Planning Authority
- City of London
- Constituency
- Cities of London and Westminster MP: Rachel Blake (Lab)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 16 July 1964
- Type
- Institute and library
- Address
- Bishopsgate Institute and Library, Bishopsgate Ec2, City and County of the City of London, EC2M 4QH
- OS grid reference
- TQ 334 817
- Coordinates
- 51.51874, -0.07863
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
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.
Local climate
Bishopsgate Institute and Library sits in one of the driest parts of the UK, with an average of 690 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 95% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 98% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 35 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 57% of listed buildings. Of these, 16 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
More on this building
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- Full EPC report — heating system, energy costs, size, glazing, construction etc.
- Sale history — 1 transaction since 2019
- Related listed building consents — 24 applications
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.
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