New City College, Tower Hamlets

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 12 May 2022 to update the name, and address and to reformat the text to current standards

TQ 3780 25/903

POPLAR HIGH STREET, E14 No 112 (New City College, Tower Hamlets)

(Formerly listed as No 112 (Poplar Technical College)

II 1906, by W E Riley and the LCC architects department. An interesting Portland stone faced elevation, as built of six bays only, the three to east an addition of 1931. Restrained use of Classical-Renaissance orders and ornament to dress the principal openings which functionally express the interior, resulting in a classical design that is Norman Shaw inspired but owes more to Lethaby or Beresford Pite. Two storeys, basement, and dormered slate mansard roof.

The originally central group of first floor almost semi-circular windows have finely dressed voussoir arches and are articulated by coupled engagelboric columns rising from sill course. A similar but unframed arched window is pierced to the left of this group, formerly set over the left hand entrance of the original east end bay, now a window. Plain ground floor windows. The right hand bay has a flat arched first floor window with cornice on consoles and below the main entrance: rosette studded gadrooned architrave with overdoor light framed by well carved putti standing on dolphins, shallow cornice hood overall.

The three bay east extension is in a plain matching style, windows the same as in original ground floor. Square section cast iron area railings designed in panels with crows bracing and urn finials and articulated by Portland stone dies. The college was purpose built and had an emphasis on training cadets for the Mercantile Marine, renamed Merchant Navy in 1928, and hence the maritime putti of the overdoor.

Listing NGR: TQ3771980728