Ministry of Defence, Containing Sixteenth Century Undercroft and Historic Rooms Numbers 13, 24, 25, 27 and 79, City of Westminster, London

Entry Name: Ministry of Defence, Containing Sixteenth Century Undercroft and Historic Rooms Numbers 13, 24, 25, 27 and 79

Listing Date: 14 January 1970

Last Amended: 1 December 1987

Grade: I

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1278223

English Heritage Legacy ID: 210208

Also known as: Ministry of Defense Main Building

ID on this website: 101278223

Location: Westminster, London, SW1A

County: London

District: City of Westminster

Electoral Ward/Division: St James's

Parish: Non Civil Parish

Built-Up Area: City of Westminster

Traditional County: Middlesex

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Greater London

Church of England Parish: St Martin-in-the-Fields

Church of England Diocese: London

Tagged with: Building Headquarters

Description

TQ 3080 SW and 3079 NW CITY OF WESTMINSTER HORSE GUARDS AVENUE, SWl
83/80 ; 92/ 2
14.1.70 (Vaulted undercroft only) Ministry of Defence, containing
C16 Undercroft and Historic
Rooms: Nos 13, 24, 25, 27 and
79
G.V. I
Government offices incorporating C.16 vaulted undercroft and C.18
historic rooms removed and reset from houses formerly on the site.
Office building designed 1913 by Vincent Harris, only built after World
War II, completed 1959. Portland stone ashlar facing, copper clad roofs.
Stripped Edwardian Baroque and some more strictly classical features
dressing vast pile. Long wedge shaped plan with slightly bowed north
front and slightly convex south end. 8 storeys with 4 equally spaced 2
storey giant colonnaded top hampers, with pedimented terminal pavilions,
running east-west, one over each end and 2 in between. 21-window wide
main north entrance front. Very long regularly fenestrated side
elevations. The top hampers define 3 internal courts. Tetrastyle
portico in antis to centre of north front flanked by pylons supporting
massive sculptures of "Earth" and "Water" by Charles Wheeler. Gibbs
surround windows to ground floor; "Georgian" metal casements to plain
upper floors. Reset historical features as follows. In the basement and
formerly part of the ground floor of Cadogan House, a vaulted undercroft
wine cellar of c.1530 originally part of York Place, residence of
Cardinal Wolsey incorporated into Whitehall Place by Henry VIII, brick,
quadripartite, chamfered cross and ridge ribbed vaults over 10 bays with
4 central octagonal stone piers, barrel-platforms in situ; exterior faced
in C.18 stone dressed brick with segmental arched windows. Historic Room
No. 13: c.1757, part of a suite of reception rooms from Pembroke House;
lightly modelled decorative plaster ceiling and modillion cornice, the
wall opposite window with Ionic columned and pilastered frame of an
alcove with female mask keystone to arch beneath entablature and flanking
bays with 6-panel doors surmounted by circular panels. Historic Room
No. 24: c.1757, part of the Pembroke House suite; similar but elaborated
alcove opposite bay window in tripartite arrangement with decorative
flanking doors in frame of fluted Ionic columns on pedestals, suggesting
a small stage set with appropriate carved masks and enrichment; good
decorative plasterwork ceiling of spider's web pattern, the ceiling in
the bay window a similar but independent composition; enriched modillion
cornice; carved arabesque ornament to window shutter panels. Historic
Room No. 25: former Dining Room of the Pembroke House suite, 1773 by
Sir William Chambers with richly decorated plasterwork ceiling with
trophies, festoons, tripods and sphinxes etc, but the chimneypiece, an
elaborate composition with crowning shaped pediment to overmantel,
attributed to William Kent and said to come from Cadogan House. Historic
Room No. 27: former Saloon of the Pembroke House Suite, 1760 by
Sir William Chambers with elaborate compartmented plasterwork ceiling with
still in his early Palladian manner and Corinthian columned and
pedimented doorway with carved enrichment. Historic Room No. 79: room
formerly at Cromwell House, c.1722 - fully panelled room with enriched
modillion cornice, the north wall with elaborated carved architrave
central panel, the east wall with formerly open tripartite pilastered
arcade, and ornate carved pine chimneypiece, consoles to mantle carved
with eagle heads and pedimented overmantel, etc. Graded I for vaulted under-
croft.
Survey of London; Vol. XIII.
Sir William Chambers; John Harris.

Listing NGR: TQ3024080010

External Links

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