Former Paymaster Generals Office Former Paymaster Generals Office (The Parliamentary Counsel)

The Former Paymaster General's Office, also known as The Parliamentary Counsel, is a Grade II* listed government office building located on Whitehall in the City of Westminster. Originally constructed between 1732 and 1733 by John Lane, the building features a north bay added in 1806. The rear elevation facing Horse Guards Parade is the west facade of the former No 37 Great George Street, which was re-erected in 1910. A major restoration and rebuilding took place in 1965.

The main structure is built of brown brick with Portland stone dressings and has a slate roof. It showcases a restrained astylar Palladian front, characterized by Gibbs surrounds. The building stands three storeys high and is five windows wide, with a slightly advanced three-bay centre that is pedimented. The central doorway is framed by a Gibbs surround featuring a deep keystone and a voussoir flat arch, while the ground floor windows also have Gibbs surrounds. The upper floors have recessed glazing bar sashes beneath flat gauged arches. A stone plinth supports a pseudo parapet at the first floor, which features a 'plinth' plat band running across the heads of the ground floor windows. The building is topped with a bracketed cornice and a blocking course, with a pediment over the centre break that contains a lunette attic window.

The 1806 north bay rises to four storeys and includes recessed tripartite sashes, a first-floor plat band, and a cornice that extends from the main block, culminating in a parapet with coping. The re-erected facade of the demolished No 37 Great George Street, dating from around 1760-1770, replaced a plain brick front facing Horse Guards Parade. This section is constructed of Portland stone ashlar, is three storeys high with a basement, and is five windows wide, with the end bays being advanced and pedimented. The windows are recessed glazing bar sashes, with Venetian windows in the end pavilions on each floor. A first-floor balcony is present on the main block, along with an entablature over the first floor and a crowning cornice and blocking course between the pedimented pavilions.

Inside, the building retains a drawing room, now used as a conference room, located at the rear on the ground floor. This room features fine Palladian details and a chimney piece with a pedimented overmantel flanked by bearded profile volutes.