London Wall Buildings

An office block of 1901, designed by Gordon and Gunton in stone, occupying the southeast quadrant of Finsbury Circus with elevations to Circus Place, Blomfield Street, and London Wall. The building steps down to London Wall and comprises six storeys and an attic, with seven-storey pavilions at the ends topped by mansard roofs of slate. The main Finsbury Circus elevation is symmetrical about the entrance and contains a twenty-nine-window range.

The principal entrance is a round-arched opening set within a two-storey porch designed as a triumphal arch with applied Ionic columns and carved, pierced spandrels. A broken pediment above is rebated, with round-arched entrances to either side. All openings in the entrance range are tripartite. All openings throughout are flat-arched unless otherwise noted.

The composition is articulated through projecting pavilions at the centre and ends. The ground floor features banded rustication, with a pair of pedimented aedicules to the ground floor of the end pavilions. The first-floor windows, except those in the centre ranges, are set within aedicules topped by alternating segmental and triangular pediments. Tripartite first- and second-floor windows in the end bays sit within shallow segmental bays. Second-floor windows in the intermediate ranges have keyed jambs and pediments; those flanking the centre range feature segmental pediments. Third-floor windows are defined by architraves with keyed jambs. The fourth and fifth floors are articulated by an attached giant colonnade of Composite order, with pedimented windows to the pavilions and the remainder flanked by pilasters or columns. The entablature cornice above this colonnade is very richly carved. Attic windows in the end ranges have segmental pediments, whilst the centre pavilion is topped by a raking cornice to a pediment. The end pavilions display banded rustication and rusticated columns, with a balustrade interrupted by pedimented dormers.

A second entrance occurs at the second-window range, numbered as 5 London Wall Buildings. Storey and sill bands run across the façade, with moulded rectangular stacks positioned between the eighth and ninth-window ranges.

The Circus Place returns comprise two windows repeating the end pavilion elevation and stepping down. The Blomfield Street elevation spans thirteen windows, with bay elevations similar to those of Finsbury Circus, except ranges eight to ten, which project as a pavilion to form a termination with New Broad Street. Balconies are present on the second-floor windows of the first, sixth, ninth, and twelfth-window ranges, each flanked by pairs of attached Ionic columns topped by pediments. Upper floors are recessed behind a balustrade.

A curved corner to London Wall, comprising a five-window range, is roofed by a metal-sheathed dome pierced by elaborate dormers. The London Wall elevation extends twenty-three windows, repeating the Blomfield Street bay elevation. The third floor is recessed behind a balustrade except for ranges one to three, nine, and twenty-two, which rise within bays framed by giant Ionic aedicules. Entrances positioned under tripartite porches occur at ranges seventeen to nineteen and twelve to fourteen. Ranges fifteen to seventeen project as a high pavilion with attached columns. A round-arched entrance under a pediment appears in the fifth-window range, with another round-arched entrance to a banking hall in the curved and rebated corner range.

The Circus Place elevation comprises an eleven-window range, stepping up to the returns of the end pavilions of the Finsbury Circus elevation.