King'S Chambers

TQ 3081 SE 60/6

CITY OF WESTMINSTER ST CLEMENT'S LANE, WC2 No 3 (King's Chambers)

GV II Chambers. c1905 and stylistically close to H Fuller Clarke. Ceramic brick plain red brick, Portland stone and polished granite, slate roof. Original Edwardian Free Style design for offices.

Three storeys and attic storey. Six windows wide to St Clement's Lane and five windows wide to Portugal Street, the corner canted and developed as cupolared tower. St Clement's Lane front has secondary doorway to left set into ashlar wall face with drip mould-cornice and lay-light with glazing bars above; Two large office windows and a single window, flat stone mullions and transoms flush with ashlar wall, with glazed stall risers lighting basement. Main entrance, to centre of Portugal Street front, takes the form of a large round arched niche line in green mosaic with good Arts and Crafts/Art Nouveau lettering in gold: "KINGS CHAMBERS" on semi-dome; panelled and glazed door with fanlight follows curve of niche as do the curved plate glass side windows; the niche opening framed by very large broken segmental pediment rising from granite piers and encompassing centre light of tripartite, Ionic columned, first floor window. Two office windows flank entrance niche on ground floor with similar detailing to those on return. Upper floors and attic storey are flanked by through storey canted bay windows. The attic storey is faced in green ceramic brick and rises from bold stone cornice to secondary cornice with pediment in parapet. The corner splay of attic between canted bays has oculus and above the parapet the combination of canted bays and corner splay read as a "tower" crowned by lead cupola.

Interesting island block development of chambers with Nos 2 and 4 Portugal Street qv.

Listing NGR: TQ3074981201