Thames House (North And South Blocks With Bridge Link)

TQ 3078 NW CITY OF WESTMINSTER MILLBANK, SW1 106/3 Thames House (North 16.1.81 and South Blocks with Bridge-Link)

II G.V.

Office blocks linked by bridge. 1928 by Sir F. Baines as part of uniform composition with Imperial Chemical House, q.v., flanking Horseferry Road approach to Lambeth Bridge. Portland stone and granite on steel frame, leaded roofs. Monumental office blocks and bridge-link treated in the Lutyens-Baker manner with giant order dressing the "top hamper" below steeply hipped roof, identical with Imperial Chemical House on splayed corner elevations but slight variant in design to Millbank. 5 storeys with 3-storey attic. Millbank elevation has South Block of 21 windows wide, 4-window wide bridge-link with North Block of 12 windows wide, 7-window wide splayed corner and return to Horseferry. Road. Granite faced ground floor with principal doorways in 2nd bay in from bridge-link, archivolt arched with carved spandrels, flanked by pilasters carrying entablature and rising into 1st floor; the doors are plated and panelled in nickel-copper alloy with naturalistic motifs, by W.B. Fagan. Recessed glazing bar metal casements under flat voussoired arches, distributed regularly across ground floor and rusticated 1st to 4th floors, with aedicules at regular intervals to 3rd floor windows, 11 to Millbank and one each to centre of other 2 elevations. Giant quoin pilasters and entablature above 4th floor. The "top hamper" has giant order end pavilions of one window and 5 bay colonnade to splayed corner on 6th and 7th floors; entablature with crowning parapet. The bridge-link is slightly recessed with large archivolt, keyed arch rising up 2nd floor with coffered tunnel vault, rusticated spandrels and wall face above with band of windows separated by escutcheon panels beneath entablature carried over from main blocks.

Listing NGR: TQ3020978888