One of the last remaining Georgian office buildings in this area of London (it can be found on the corner of Cheapside and King Street in the City of London) it was designed in 1836 by Thomas Hopper. He was commissioned by the Atlas Assurance Company, a fire and life insurance company, and took inspiration from classical Italian architecture.
Designed by Alfred Waterhouse (architect of the Natural History Museum and the Prudential Assurance Building in Nottingham) this Grade II listed building was constructed in 1885-6. The insurance provider Prudential commissioned the building as its regional offices.
Made of red brick and terracotta the tower was added in 1904.
I’ve been to the Natural History Museum lots of times before but on this trip I wanted to pay particular attention to the building’s architecture, and of course to see the whale skeleton that replaced Dippy the diplodocus.
I visited the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors‘ headquarters in Great George Street as part of Open House London. It’s the only surviving Victorian building on the street and was designed by Alfred Waterhouse in 1899, who also designed one of my favourite buildings in Nottingham, the Prudential building and the Natural History Museum in London (which will feature in a later post).
At the junction of Queen and King Streets in Nottingham stands what began as the Prudential Building, though lately it’s seen a succession of restaurants fail to stick around and is currently vacant. Designed by Alfred Waterhouse it’s a stunning building in beautiful red brick, one of 27 such buildings Waterhouse designed for the Prudential Assurance Company throughout the UK.
