Month: July 2013

Lloyds Building London

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Lloyds Building London LondonOfficeSpace.com @officeinlondonLocated in the heart of the City of London, the iconic Lloyd’s building is a unique construction, home to the large UK insurance and bank institution, Lloyds TSB. The site was originally home to the very first Lloyd’s building, constructed in 1928, but as the organization grew, more space was needed. Initially, an additional building was developed but in 1978, due to further expansion, the original construction was demolished and the building that now stands built and opened by Queen Elizabeth II in November 1978 after 8 years of construction.

The Lloyds building is made up of 6 towers, (3 main and 3 service) built around a rectangle area. The building is unique due to the position of the services such as lifts, staircases, water and electrical lines being on the outside of the building, leaving the space inside completely free for use without distractions.

The building itself is 88 meters tall, with 14 floors, 4 glass lifts and an adaptable interior whereby the partition walls can be moved around to create any desired office layout. The main focal point of the building is the ground floor, where the underwriting room that is overlooked by galleries on the first four floors and lit by a vaulted glass roof. The galleries are accessible from lifts inside the building, however, the remaining floors are only accessible via the glass lifts that run on the outside of the main construction. The building is entirely used as office space for the Lloyds Group, apart from the 11th floor where the committee room is found. The committee room is a dining room, originally created for the Earl of Shelburne in 1798. The room was brought across, piece-by-piece from another Lloyds building nearby.

The Lloyds building was designed by British architect Richard Rogers, known for his modern and functional design, including developments such as the Millennium Dome in Greenwich and the Pompidou Centre in Paris – where you can see some similar influences in design with the Lloyds building. The build cost was approximately £75 million.

The Lloyd’s building holds open house days for visitors to tour the building with the dates are available on the Lloyd’s website. The building is situated at 1 Lime Street, City of London and is easily accessible via the following London underground stations:

Bank – on the northern, central and city line. Additionally, Docklands Light Railway

Liverpool Street – on mainline services as well as central, circle, metropolitan, Hammersmith and city line.

Monument – on circle and district lines

Focus On: Westbourne Grove Business Centre

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14-16 Westbourne Grove, London W2 5RH

Set on Westbourne Grove, in fashionable, cosmopolitan Bayswater and just minutes from Notting Hill, Portobello market and Hyde Park is the Westbourne Grove Business Centre building. The Westbourne Grove area began development between 1820 and 1850; as Bayswater was overhauled and populated with the stucco buildings and wide green squares characteristic of the Georgian Era, the sprawl headed west towards Notting Hill and the Ladbroke Estate.

Although the road itself was called Archer Street until 1938, the area had been known as Westbourne Green since the 16th century, named after the River Westbourne which now runs underground, below Ossington Street. North of the road we now call Westbourne Grove, the architect Isaac Ware had built Westbourne House in 1745, an elegant three storey mansion in the Georgian style and hosted many notable residents including a baronet, the army’s General Commander in Chief and Samuel Pepys’s great great nephew. Although Westbourne House was knocked down in 1836, the Westbourne Grove Business Centre bears the name Westbourne House in commemoration of the original building.

The Business Centre is an imposing, modern building, recognisable for its clear lines of functional exposed dark bricks and continuous tinted windows. The interior has recently been refurbished to a high standard to house five floors of contemporary, fully furnished, serviced offices, finished to a high business specification. The flexible office spaces are available for rental and amenities include a daily cleaning and servicing staff team, dedicated reception and switch board, 24 hour access, security and CCTV, meeting and break-out rooms and a furnished and stocked kitchen. The Business Centre is popular with a range of organisations including accounting and payroll, a tourism operator, legal services and events management. The Westbourne Grove branch of the Nat West Bank operates out of the ground floor, with street level access.

Getting there

Westbourne Grove Business Centre is conveniently situated 10 minutes walk from Queensway station which is on the Central Line, 5 minutes walk from Bayswater Station on the circle and district lines. From either station, head north on Queensway, turn left on to Westbourne Grove to find the Business Centre on the left. Bus numbers 7, 23, 31, 328, 28 and 70 stop at Westbourne Grove/Chepstow road –proceed east along Westbourne Grove from the junction to reach Westbourne house.

Guide to Oxford Street: Key Facts, History, Architecture and Tourism

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Oxford Street is the home of London’s fashion scene and a world class shopping district. Shoppers and visitors to London will find some of the best and most luxurious shops and brands along Oxford Street. Over one-and-a-half miles of some 300 boutiques and shops, department stores, luxury hotels, and fine restaurants combine to create the busiest shopping street in Europe.

About Oxford Street

Oxford Street is bound by the Marble Arch in the east and Tottenham Court Road to the west. It follows the route of a former Roman road that connected Hampshire with Colchester. The River Tyburn runs underneath Oxford Road, with the Grays Antique Centre close to the junction with Bond Street featuring claiming to have an open conduit where part of the stream flows into its basement.

Since the 12th century, Oxford Street has also been known as Tyburn Road, Uxbridge Road, Worcester Road, and Oxford Road. Its current name was adopted in 1729. From the 19th century, Oxford Street became synonymous with shops and London’s retail and fashion sectors. Prior to this, the road was infamous as the final leg for condemned prisoners travelling from Newgate Prison to gallows near Marble Arch. Extensively bombed during the Second World War, Oxford Street was also the target of IRA bombers in the 1970s.

Oxford Street Highlights

Today, flagship stores for some of Britain’s biggest retail names dot Oxford Street, including Debenhams, John Lewis, and House of Fraser. The largest Marks & Spencer store in Britain is also found along Oxford Street at the junction with Orchard Street. Marks & Spencer also operates a branch at the Pantheon, the site of an ornate theatre that originally opened in 1772 and demolished in 1937. HMV also operates the largest music store in Europe at 150 Oxford Street.

Halfway along Oxford Street where the road meets Regent Street is Oxford Circus. Designed by John Nash and built in the 19th century, Oxford Circus today is where you will find a tube station, frenzied shoppers, and a sprawling pedestrian scramble or diagonal crossing, which was added in 2009.

Every year since 1978, Oxford Street has been decorated with Christmas lights during the holiday shopping season. A tradition started in 1959 and interrupted by a recession that began in 1967, the lights have been switched on by celebrities since 1981. Jim Carrey, Charlotte Church, the Spice Girls, the Sugababes, the cast of Coronation Street, and Richard Branson have been some of the famous faces that have officially launched Oxford Street’s busiest shopping period.

Oxford Street’s Impact on the Economy

The fashion industry in Britain contributes over £21 billion each year to the economy, according to the British Fashion Council. The industry also supports approximately 816,000 jobs. Oxford Street alone is home to over 200 British fashion brands. The area employs over 50,000 style experts and educates over 2,000 students in fashion. It also attracts over 100 million visitors each year, who spend £4.9 billion every year along Oxford Street.

Getting to Oxford Street

Whether by public transit, by car, or on foot, Oxford Street is well connected. Bond Street, Marble Arch, Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus, Tottenham Court Road, and Green Park tube stations are found either along or near Oxford Street. The shopping district is also with a short walk from ten of London’s mainline railway stations. Nearly 20 bus routes make their way through Oxford Street, connecting the area with other parts of London, including Notting Hill, Victoria and Paddington stations, Tottenham, and Trafalgar Square.

Thinking of opening a new office in the Oxford Street area? London Office Space has a number of available serviced offices on Oxford Street.

Further guides on important streets in the city of London including Baker Street, Broad Street, Goodge Street, Great Portland Street, Old Street, Cannon Street and Regents Street.