An Icon of the London Skyline
55 Broadway was the home of TfL and its predecessors from 1929 to 2020. Discover the history around the design, build and reception of this much loved Art Deco icon
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55 Broadway Opened 1929
Most famous buildings are identified either by their name, their occupants, or their purpose. It's rare for a building to be known principally by its postal address. One such building is 55 Broadway, constructed by the Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL)
Original booking office at St James's Park Station renamed 55 Broadway (1929-06-01)TfL Corporate Archives
The Site
On its creation in 1902, the UERL took control of the Metropolitan District Railway Company, whose offices had been above St James's Park Station
Agreement for building that could be erected by the London Passenger Transport Company (1927-12-23)TfL Corporate Archives
By the late 1920s, the UERL Board wanted to house all of its ‘head office’ staff in 1 new purpose-built office block on the site
Many buildings along Broadway, Ermin Hill, York Street and Petty France needed to be purchased
Footprint plan of property purchased for construction of 55 Broadway (1917-07-06)TfL Corporate Archives
This plan from a 1917 deed shows the extent of property purchased and the location of the railway line running below the proposed site
Plan of the ground floor 55 Broadway (1929-10-16)TfL Corporate Archives
The Design
The Underground Group wanted its new headquarters to reflect a bold vision of the future
There would be a cruciform design - in place of the customary hollow rectangle format – which would offer staff more natural daylight in wings projecting from a central core
London is a big place (1929-08-01)TfL Corporate Archives
At 14 floors, 55 Broadway would be the tallest office building in London
Agreement for building that could be erected by the London Passenger Transport Company (1927-12-23)TfL Corporate Archives
But the design would need to honour the restrictions placed on it by this agreement from 1927, which specifies the potential footprint and height of any building to be constructed opposite Queen Anne's Mansions
55 Broadway: The Sculptures (1992-06-01)TfL Corporate Archives
Contemporary artists would be invited to sculpt decorative features directly onto the stone façade
The Architect
Charles Holden, a partner in the commissioned firm of architects, will always be associated with 55 Broadway and with the Underground Group
Staff laying foundation stones for 55 Broadway (1928-12-01)TfL Corporate Archives
Features of Construction
Construction began in 1927 and was completed in 1929
700 reinforced concrete piles were sunk to an average depth of 12.2 metres (40 feet) below basement level to support the building
Noise complaint from resident at St Ermins (1927-04-01)TfL Corporate Archives
19 load-bearing steel girders span the railway, and special insulation was used to reduce vibration from the trains
This did nothing to prevent noise complaints from neighbours during construction
Granite for the ground floor came from Norway whilst the Travertine marble - used extensively in the interior - came from Italy. The Portland stone used as the main facing on the exterior came from Broadcroft, Dorset.
The construction details of the project can be followed from memoranda, minutes and monthly progress reports that survive within the TfL Corporate Archives collection
The Royal Institute of British Architects Medal (1930-01-01)TfL Corporate Archives
Reception
The scale, design and vision of the building was well received
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) awarded 55 Broadway its 1929 London Architectural Medal
"This is the House That....." (1929-05-01)TfL Corporate Archives
Public reception was more mixed however. Ranging from this cartoon that makes light of some of the characteristics of the new building
Henry Moore at work on North Wind (1929-06-01)TfL Corporate Archives
... to the hostility with which some of the carvings, commissioned from the most famous artists of the day including Jacob Epstein and Henry Moore, were greeted
This article from 1979 includes details of the original reviews of the building's sculptures
One reviewer calling them “Monuments so repulsive a character may reasonably be expected to drive a man in the street Underground.”
The sculpture on 55 Broadway (1992-06-01)TfL Corporate Archives
Night by Jacob Epstein (1929-06-01)TfL Corporate Archives
Frank Pick, Managing Director of the UERL, sought the opinion of his close friend and ceramicist Harold Stabler to try to understand the public mood.
Letter from Harold Stabler to Frank Pick with his opinion on sculptures of Jacob Epstein (1929-07-16)TfL Corporate Archives
Letter from Harold Stabler to Frank Pick with his opinion on sculptures of Jacob Epstein (1929-07-16)TfL Corporate Archives
"To sum up... I find Epstein a greater poet than I do a sculptor and a cleverer man than most."
Punch pokes fun at Epstein's statue Night (1985-06-26)TfL Corporate Archives
The sculpture that caused most of the outcry was Night by Jacob Epstein, which featured “a particularly well-endowed young boy.” The Board were minded to replace the statues but Pick threatened to resign, and so a compromise was reached and Epstein amended the statue
The building quickly gained public affection and an iconic place on the London skyline.
On its publication in the staff magazine in 1932, there was unexpected demand for reproductions of this image of 55 Broadway as seen through the trees of St James's Park
Fifty-Five Poem
It also inspired this poem
55 Broadway (1947-04-01)TfL Corporate Archives
Protecting a Heritage Icon
In 1970 the façade, the main staircase, the lift lobby areas on each floor and the panelled wing including the office of Lord Ashfield (the first Chairman of London Transport), were all listed Grade II, and in January 2011 the building achieved Grade I listing
Story compiled by TfL from information in records at the Transport for London Corporate Archives.
The Corporate Archives seeks to preserve and make accessible records, not to interpret them. A wider range of material is available for physical consultation.
