Central Court – Reinventing the Past

London’s Best Office Spaces – The Links Between London’s Past and the Modern World

In the area surrounding Chancery Lane Tube station, there is a large cluster of some of London’s most important properties. Indeed, on the map of the area on the Historic England website, it appears that there are almost as many listed buildings as those that are not listed. One of those properties is No.25 Southampton Buildings and this sits in the heart of the Chancery Lane Conservation Area. This area covers just over 6 hectares of the Ward of Farringdon Without and serves to protect the unique architecture within it. Southampton Buildings is one of those properties and has a rich history that dates back centuries. In 1144, the Knights Templar were established in Holborn, on a site to the northern end of what was later to become Chancery Lane. In recent times, archaeological works located the first Knights Templar church at the junction of where Southampton Buildings sits today and High Holborn. The site of the Templar hall and chapel remained in place and varied in ownership until the early 17th century when it was redeveloped by the Earl of Southampton, and the site was named Southampton Buildings. In the mid-17th century, it was then redeveloped into private tenements and was actually the location of one of the earliest coffee-houses of London, with records dating it to 1650. In 1823, Dr Birkbeck founded the Mechanics’ Institution in Southampton Buildings, which later became the London Mechanics’ Institution, and the building was used as a theatre for delivering the lectures of the professors. The London Mechanics’ Institution, the forerunner of Birkbeck College, which is now a part of the University of London, was headquartered at Southampton Buildings until 1884. This part of London, today known as Midtown, is now actually referred to as London’s ‘Seat of Learning’ because it is now home of the London School of Economics (LSE) and University College London (UCL), as well as the British Museum and Inns of Court. The London Patent Office Library was established within Southampton Buildings in 1899 and, in 1902, the headquarter offices of the London Patent Office were established in the building, where it stayed until 1991. The unique commercial property became Grade II* listed in 1989 to conserve its impressive neo-Elizabethan architecture. The listing highlights the range of features from elaborate railings, Flemish gables, Corinthian columns, Doric pilasters and decorative panels used in the library, reading rooms, arbitration rooms and the courts. Today, you will find luxury office space within the fabric of this beautiful commercial property, specifically within the area of the property known as Central Court. Details of these offices can be found on the Prestige Offices website. It is within these, that modern businesses have the opportunity to create their own history within this iconic building.