Dorset House

Dorset House, comprising Nos. 128-130 Gloucester Place, Nos. 1-9 Glentworth Street, Nos. 148-168 Marylebone Road and Nos. 31-37 Melcombe Street, is a block of 185 flats built in 1934-5. Designed by architects T P Bennett and Son with consulting architect Joseph Emberton, and developed by Claude Leigh, the building features reliefs by Eric Gill. It was constructed above an underground parking garage, with a ground floor containing a filling station, restaurant and 16 shops.

The building occupies a complete street block with full site coverage at ground floor level, except for a shallow entrance courtyard from Gloucester Place. The structure is of steel frame with concrete floors, rising 10 storeys above a 2-storey basement, with the top 2 storeys stepped back from the street frontage. The exterior is of brown brick in Flemish bond with stone dressings, wrought iron balustrades and brick and stone balcony fronts, asphalt flat roofs on concrete slabs and brick chimneys.

The filling station entrance is located on the corner of Gloucester Place and Marylebone Road, with a sweeping concave curve emphasised by channelled rustication and a bold overhanging canopy-cornice at first floor level. Underground parking entrances are accessed from Marylebone Road and Glentworth Street, with the remaining perimeter occupied by shops and restaurant. The ground floor podium has shopfronts below an artificial stone fascia and cornice band. A continuous projecting balcony runs around the perimeter at second floor level, with vertical emphasis given by ribbed treatment on the flanks of projecting block ends. The building features purpose-designed Crittall horizontal bar metal windows throughout, many of which are full-length French windows. Twin canted bays flank a roll-moulded artificial stone panel running from second to seventh floors, with rolls taken across the third floor balcony. Iron balcony fronts with curved ends serve all major rooms, featuring horizontal bars resembling ship railings; brick balcony fronts are used to recessed facades between projections. Full-length slit windows from first to ninth floors mark service stairs, while rear access stairs have canted bay windows of similar height. Parapets have moulded artificial stone copings.

The main entrance to the flats is recessed beneath a canopy from Gloucester Place. The entrance was originally detailed with a moulded banded fascia and curved corners, with stone panels either side carved by Eric Gill, though the canopy entrance has since been insensitively altered. The foyer interior retains coved ceilings and cased beams, with raised curved apsidal ends leading to circular lift halls featuring ribbed walls and circular-stepped ceilings. The ground floor layout comprises a vestibule leading to a porter's office, then a broad shallow foyer with apsidal ends, from which open twin circular front lift halls. Broad corridors lead to twin circular rear lift halls, with four circulation cores opening onto central spine corridors leading to individual flats on each level. Tenants' access stairs are located front and rear.

Service entrances open from the left and right inner corners of the entrance courtyard, with spine corridors serving trunk rooms, banks of maids' bedrooms and leading to independent service stairs and lifts providing access to individual flat kitchen entrances. The upper floors are planned as a series of linked T and L-shaped blocks with their tails pointing streetwards, ranged around a broad court open to Gloucester Place above the entrance.

The building provided 1, 2 and 3-bedroom flats. Those on the first floor have access to roof terraces, while those on the 8th and 9th floors are set back behind sundecks. Original rents ranged from £150 to £385 per annum.

Tenants' stairs feature terrazzo treads with mosaic inserts, terrazzo strings and iron railings with Art Deco detailing. Service stairs are of simplified design with concrete finish and utilitarian ship railings. Most flat interiors have been comprehensively refurbished with renewed kitchen and bathroom fittings, though coved ceilings survive, with some original fire surrounds. Due to the extent of alterations, the interiors of the flats are not of special interest.

Dorset House is one of the most impressive Moderne style flat complexes built in central London. The practical skills of T P Bennett and Son ensured the successful separation of service areas from tenants' corridors and public rooms, while the design contribution of Joseph Emberton to the public areas raised the aesthetic quality well above the norms of most contemporary commercial developments.