41, Lothbury is a Grade II listed building whose second stage was built in 1902 and which was finished in 1931. Members of LCAG were invited by Simon Givens from construction firm Wates to inspect the comprehensive renovation and reconstruction of this former flagship headquarters of Natwest. It is a near neighbour of the Bank of England but current access is tucked up Angel Court. We were supplied with a Green Travel Plan showing how to find the building using public transport.
This project is to convert a currently unused, largely Edwardian building with some beautiful surviving architectural features. It is owned by Pembroke (based in the USA) the Real Estate company of the Johnson family empire, originally from Boston, who regard it as a “trophy “ building. The new tenants will be a firm of City Solicitors and the development has achieved Gold Award status within the Corporation of London’s Considerate Constructors scheme. The project has has been awarded industry standard (BREEAM) “outstanding” rating for consideration of environmental impact, recycling, well-being of tenants and staff and includes good use of natural light and natural ventilation. Wates praised the City of London Corporation for being both responsive and helpful and are proud of their full marks for being a Considerate Constructor.
L to R: Paul Sheedy, Constructors; Alison Gowman, LCAG Chair; Jason Essenhigh, Innholders; Robert Raffety, Wax Chandlers; Helen Dobson, Goldsmiths; Sasha Keir, Basketmakers; Ann Reed, Glass Sellers.
Some development work was done in the early 2000s with the removal of the plant room upper floor and the creation of a central atrium. All the gas infrastructure has been removed and a backup diesel generator installed. Formerly all the building waste would have been dumped but Wates is re-cycling as much as possible and retaining many of the building’s lovely features in the offices on the East side. There are beautiful marble fireplaces and wall panelling. Ironically, it’s the 20th century electrical fittings, particularly the lighting, that’s difficult to retain; it can’t be validated for safety reasons.
We were taken to the staff room to be kitted out in hard hats and steel toed boots. Those of us with little feet had to take some thick socks! After donning hi-vis jackets and each being given safety goggles and gloves, we were led along the designated pathways to view the interior. The high-ceilinged banking hall, with its marble columns was having a new parquet floor using sustainable hard woods with the surrounding tiled marble margin being cleaned. Up on the roof, we viewed the new terraced roof garden with a spectacular view of the City and in particular, the Bank of England’s Art Deco ventilation chimney which wouldn’t have looked out of place on the Queen Mary!
It was good to hear that the developers currently have nine apprentices, three new graduate trainees and have a very diverse team with a strong representation of women engineers. It was also reassuring to hear that incorporating re-cycling and re-purposing hasn’t impacted the construction deadlines. Hopefully, those apprentices and graduates will carry forward their training into other greener redevelopments in the City and elsewhere.
Sasha Keir
LCAG Representative, The Worshipful Company of Basketmakers