Northumberland House (Victoria Buildings)

TQ 3080 SW CITY OF WESTMINSTER NORTHUMBERLAND AVENUE, SW1 83/39 (south side) 5.2.70 Northumberland House (Victoria Buildings) G.V. II Government offices, formerly grand hotel. 1882-87 by Isaacs and Florence, built as the Victoria Hotel. Portland stone, slate roofs. Vast but quite elegantly detailed "Second Empire palace". 6 storeys plus 2 storeys of stone dormers in steep slated mansard with central and terminal taller pavilion roofs. 21 windows long. Channelled ground floor with mezzanine has large archivolt arched central entrance with relief carved and figured spandrels and sculptural crest, and 2 secondary doorways. Large ground floor windows with archivolt arches, upper floor with 2 light sashes; 3 storey bow to centrepiece enriched with caryatids and oval windows to 4th floor level; coupled and tripled semicircular arched attic storey windows. The centrepiece and the terminal pavilions have giant order of Corinthian pilasters to 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors. Entablatures over ground floor and 4th floor, the latter bracketed, with course to attic storey. The French pavilion roofs flanked by prominent chimney stacks. Ornamental ironwork balcony to 1st floor and stone parapeted balcony to 3rd floor. As built the hotel had only 4 bathrooms for 500 guests by comparison with 70 bathrooms at the Savoy, Strand, q.v.

Listing NGR: TQ3015580323