Adelaide House

Adelaide House is a Grade II listed office building in London's primary financial district, the City of London. When it was completed in 1925 it was the City's tallest office block, at 43 m (141 ft). It is located on King William Street, adjacent to London Bridge, on the site of the old London Bridge Waterworks. London Bridge Wharf stood below it and was later incorporated into New Fresh Wharf, before being redeveloped in the late 1970s.[1]

For the heritage-listed house in Brisbane, Australia, see The Deanery, Brisbane.
Adelaide House
Adelaide House, pictured from the south bank of the River Thames
General information
TypeOffice
LocationKing William Street
London, EC4
United Kingdom
Coordinates51.5091°N 0.0868°W / 51.5091; -0.0868
Completed1925
Opening1925
Height
Roof43 m (141 ft)
Technical details
Floor count11

The building was named in honour of King William IV's wife Adelaide, who, in 1831, had performed the opening ceremony of London Bridge.

Adelaide House was the first building in the City to employ the steel frame technique that was later widely adopted for skyscrapers around the world, and also the first office block the United Kingdom to have central ventilation and telephone and electric connections on every floor.

It was designed in a discreet Art Deco style by Sir John Burnet and Thomas S. Tait,[2] with some Egyptian influences, popular at the time after the recent discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb. There used to be a fruit and flower garden and an 18-hole mini golf course on the roof.

It was at one time owned by Richard Tilden Smith.

The building has been Grade II listed since 1972. It is currently occupied by law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP. The style of the building is Art Deco

References
  1. Ellmers, Chris; Werner, Alex (2000). London's Riverscape Lost and Found. London's Found Riverscape Partnership. p. 2. ISBN 1-874044-30-9.
  2. Historic England. "ADELAIDE HOUSE (1064621)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  • I Never Knew That About London, Christopher Winn, 2007

Further reading
  • Ansell, Caroline J. (2016) Adelaide House London Bridge. Queensland: Caroline J. Ansell. ISBN 9780987220417
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