Listing
Search the List

What is Listing?

Listing Guidance

Apply for Listing

Missing Pieces Project

Blue Plaque Scheme
Listing

Find out about listed buildings and other protected sites, and search the National Heritage List for England (NHLE).

Find out about listing

Terracotta tiles on the roof of Saintoft Lodge, Newton-on-Rawcliffe, Ryedale, North Yorkshire. Grade II listed © Historic England Archive DP371715
Advice
Climate Change

Heritage at Risk

Your Home

Technical Guidance

Planning

Caring for Heritage

Constructive Conservation
Advice

See our extensive range of expert advice to help you care for and protect historic places.

Get our advice

A contractor cutting bricks for the wall of the partially-restored wild and natural walled garden at Warley Place, Brentwood. Explore our technical advice section © Historic England Archive DP313199
Research
Our Research Strategy and Agenda

Research Governance

Latest Research

Research Methods

Current Research

Research Results

Support & Collaboration

Inclusive Heritage

Heritage Counts
Research

Discover and use our high-quality applied research to support the protection and management of the historic environment.

Discover our research

Archaeologist Dr David Neal discussing his illustration of the mosaic being excavated at Rutland Roman Villa with members of the University of Leicester Archaeological Services team View image DP264265 © Historic England
Images & Books
Find Photos

Search All Publications

Buy Books

The Historic England Archive
Images & Books

Historic England holds an extensive range of publications and historic collections in its public archive covering the historic environment.

Browse our collections

Children play with a doll and a pram on the cobbled Church Path in Queen Camel, Somerset, in April 1953. At the far end of the path is the tower of the Church of St Barnabas, which dates to the 14th century. Photographer: John Gay Image reference: AA091596 © Historic England Archive
Services & Skills
Education

Grants

Our Planning Services

Training & Skills

Archive Services

Heritage Action Zones

Levelling Up Places Service
Services & Skills

Find out about services offered by Historic England for funding, planning, education and research, as well as training and skill development.

Learn about our services

Heritage Apprentices in a training session on the Researching The Historic Environment module and training in Architectural Photography. Find out more about Heritage Apprenticeships © Historic England Archive DP347660
What's New
News

In Your Area

Historic England Blog

Latest Research

Heritage Online Debate

Statements

Stay up to Date
What's New

Read about our current news, projects and campaigns nationally and in your area.

Catch up with what's new

Two horsemen reading The Sportsman, 30 Oct 1902, Farnborough, Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire. Part of the Alfred Newton and Sons collection. Source Historic England Archive. BB98/02592
About Us
What We Do

Who We Are

How We Are Funded

Contact Us

Careers

Volunteer with Historic England
About Us

Historic England is the public body that helps people care for, enjoy and celebrate England's spectacular historic environment.

Find out more

Mountbatten House (formerly Gateway House), Basing View, Basingstoke, the former headquarters for the paper merchants Wiggins Teape by Arup Associates. Listed at Grade II. © Historic England
Sign in
Manage my account

Sign out

PRUDENTIAL ASSURANCE BUILDING

PRUDENTIAL ASSURANCE BUILDING, 142, HOLBORN BARS

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II*
List Entry Number:: 1379064
Date first listed:: 03-Mar-1972
List Entry Name:: PRUDENTIAL ASSURANCE BUILDING
Statutory Address:: PRUDENTIAL ASSURANCE BUILDING, 142, HOLBORN BARS

User submitted image — Uploaded by Dominic Martin This photo may not represent the current condition of the site
View all

Location

Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale.

What is the National Heritage List for England?

The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.

The list includes:

🏠 Buildings
🏰 Scheduled monuments
🌳 Parks and gardens
⚔️ Battlefields
⚓ Shipwrecks

Find out more about listing

Images of England Project

To view this image please use Firefox, Chrome, Safari, or Edge.

Archive image, may not represent current condition of site.

Date:: 2004-08-08
Reference:: IOE01/12778/31
Rights:: © Mr David March. Source: Historic England Archive

Historic England Archive

Search over 1 million photographs and drawings from the 1850s to the present day using our images archive.

Find Photos

Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II*
List Entry Number:: 1379064
Date first listed:: 03-Mar-1972
Date of most recent amendment:: 11-Jan-1999
List Entry Name:: PRUDENTIAL ASSURANCE BUILDING
Statutory Address 1:: PRUDENTIAL ASSURANCE BUILDING, 142, HOLBORN BARS

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:: PRUDENTIAL ASSURANCE BUILDING, 142, HOLBORN BARS

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County:: Greater London Authority
District:: Camden (London Borough)
Parish:: Non Civil Parish
National Grid Reference:: TQ 31214 81665

Details

CAMDEN

TQ3181NW HOLBORN BARS 798-1/102/888 (North side) 03/03/72 No.142 Prudential Assurance Building (Formerly Listed as: GREVILLE STREET Prudential Assurance Building) (Formerly Listed as: CITY OF LONDON HOLBORN (North side) No.142 Prudential Assurance Company Offices)

GV II* Office block. 1885-1901 in several phases, by Alfred Waterhouse assisted by his son Paul and with additions of 1930-32 by EM Joseph not entirely replaced by rebuilding of 1989-93 and which include 1878-9 fragments. Polished granite, red brick, red terracotta and much use of fine ironwork, with roof in most areas of slate laid in diminishing courses. The 1930s work with internal steel frame, but the building is made coherent despite the many phases by the use of similar materials of a very restricted colour range. STYLE: boldly detailed and picturesque Gothic Revival style. PLAN: complex plan, dominated by front range of 1897-1901, the Furnival's Inn building campaign. To left or west of this range is the steel-framed range of 1930-32 by EM Joseph in matching style, on the site of the first Prudential development on the site of 1879-83 and now truncated; however the late C20 work along Brooke Street incorporates within it a three-window range of 1885-8 by Waterhouse. East of the Furnival's Inn block and returning along Leather Lane is the so-called Ridler's Hotel block, of 1897-1901. North of this are the Wood's Hotel range of 1895-6 and Greville Street/ Leather Lane block of 1895. Large internal courtyard now known as Waterhouse Square, with smaller courtyard to south. EXTERIOR: Holborn Bars elevation (part of Furnival's Inn building campaign) has carriageway arch flanked by pedestrian arched walkways in range that terminates in tower with hipped roof and fleche. Three window ranges to either side, the centre of which is topped by a gabled dormer; terminating these ranges are full-height rectangular bays finishing in facing gables, three-window segmental bay to each. To the left or west the 1930-32 range is seven storeys in the main, but the ranges to Holborn Bars continue the facade height of the Furnival's Inn building. Joseph's work has four-window range contiguous with Waterhouse's and terminating, at the corner with Brooke Street, in a rectangular bay. There is a short return along the west of two-window ranges before the building steps up to a full seven-storey high wing of three windows. Joseph's range further north along Brooke Street has been replaced by recent construction. Embedded in this late C20 work is a three-window range of 1885-8 with four-window return to north; on the corner is a polygonal turret finishing in a high hipped roof. To the east of the Furnival's Inn block and returning along Leather Lane the Ridler's Hotel parcel has a five-window range continuing from the Furnival's Inn range and terminating in a rectangular corner wing or block. The return continues the design of the main block before setting back along the long Leather Lane elevation, which has a basement area enclosed by railings of an authentic design. This build of 1897-1901 continues to just north of the angled bay which terminates in a turret with a conical roof; although the material is similar to that found on the main Holborn Bars elevation the detailing is considerably simplified. East of the angled bay / tower is two-storey, flat-roofed block of two-window range; behind this are ranges of the Furnival's Inn campaign once again, here exactly matching the design of the Ridler's Hotel block. To the north of the bay which contains a pedestrian way to the north courtyard is the Wood's Hotel block, which has a four-window range. North of this point, marked by a hefty half-round, attached shaft, the elevation cambers westwards for nine windows. This is the Greville Street and Leather Lane block, and it terminates near the corner in two facing gables; there is a short return westwards along the former line of Greville Street. The design of the elevation to this north-east block are the simplest in the whole complex but still match the colour of the other elevations. The north courtyard is now named in honour of Waterhouse. Its north range is four windows wide flanked by gable facing pavilions and it is part of the Wood's Hotel block. The northernmost bays of the east and west ranges of this courtyard are also part of this campaign. The southern parts of these ranges and that along the south are part of the Furnival's Inn campaign, as is the narrow carriageway to the south entrance courtyard. The 1914-18 War Memorial is now relocated to the north-east corner of Waterhouse Square. Bronze memorial plaques are nearby, flanking the entrance from Waterhouse Square to Leather Lane. These latter commemorate the 1939-45 war. INTERIOR: significant interiors include the public office on the ground floor of Furnival's Inn block and the Director's Staircase. Both are sheafed in faience. The Library is the only room to survive with most of its original fittings, including lights. Other interiors of special interest in the Furnival's Inn block include: on the first floor the suite of manager's offices retains mahogany panelling in one of the tower rooms and all the rooms to the east. A number of rooms on the second floor have good panelling, plaster ceilings and fireplaces. The faience in the Cashier's Office is particularly noteworthy. Panelling from the 1878-9 Board Room was used in the Director's Rest Room. The frontage to Holborn was formerly listed in the City of London on 03/03/72; the frontage to Greville Street listed in the LB of Camden on 14/05/74. Both parts were included in the LB of Camden following boundary changes on 1 April 1994. (Cunningham C and Waterhouse P: Alfred Waterhouse, 1830-1905, Biography of a Practice: Oxford: -1992).

This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 9 February 2017.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:: 478430
Legacy System:: LBS

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Online, accessed 9 February 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/120468
War Memorials Register, accessed 9 February 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/2097
Other
Cunningham, C, Alfred Waterhouse 1830-1905 A Biography of a Practice, (1992)

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.