The Midland Bank, 27-35 Poultry stands on Poultry in the City of London. It was built between 1924 and 1929 as the headquarters offices of the Midland Bank. The architect was Edwin Lutyens. A Grade I listed building, its Historic England record describes it as one of Lutyens' "finest urban buildings". It is now a hotel, The Ned, named in Lutyens' honour.
| Midland Bank, 27-35 Poultry | |
|---|---|
 "one of [Lutyens'] finest urban buildings" | |
| Type | Offices |
| Location | Poultry, City of London |
| Coordinates | 51°30′49″N 0°05′25″W / 51.5137°N 0.0902°W |
| Built | 1924-29 |
| Current use | Hotel |
| Architect | Edwin Lutyens |
| Architectural style(s) | Neoclassical |
| Governing body | Privately owned |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
| Official name | Midland Bank, 27-35, Poultry, EC2 |
| Designated | 5 June 1972 |
| Reference no. | 1064598 |
  Location of Midland Bank, 27-35 Poultry in City of London | |
History and description
editThe Birmingham and Midland Bank was founded by Charles Geach in Birmingham in 1836. In under a century, through a long series of amalgamations, and the establishment of a successful overseas business, it had become the largest bank in the world. Renamed the Midland Bank in 1923, in 1924 it commissioned a new headquarters building on Poultry in the City of London.[1] The architect was Edwin Lutyens. The first building was completed by 1929, but Lutyens returned to undertake a major expansion between 1935 and 1937.[2] Following the Midland's financial decline in the late 20th century, it was absorbed into HSBC in 1992[1] and the Poultry headquarters was vacated and subsequently sold.[2] The building was repurposed, and opened as a hotel, named "The Ned" in Lutyens' honour, in 2017.[3] The building's restoration, a partnership between Soho House and the Sydell Hotels Group, has drawn praise from both architectural critics and travel writers.[4][5][6]
Lutyens' connection to the Midland Bank came through Reginald McKenna, a senior politician who became the bank's chairman in 1919. McKenna was married to a niece of Gertrude Jekyll, Lutyens' long-time collaborator, and Lutyens had been commissioned to design the McKenna's London townhouse, Mulberry House, in Smith Square in 1912.[a][8] On McKenna's accession to the chairmanship of the Midland, he engaged Lutyens to design the bank's new headquarters.[b][9]
The building is listed at Grade I by Historic England, which considers it one of Lutyens' "finest urban buildings".[10]
Footnotes
edit- ^ Mulberry House, 36 Smith Square, was subsequently bought by Henry Mond, 2nd Baron Melchett who, in conjunction with his wife, Gwen, commissioned an elaborate interior re-decoration by the architect Darcy Braddell. The result has been described as "one of the most important Art Deco interiors in London."[7][8]
- ^ Lutyens designed much of the furniture and fittings for the new bank. A set of chairs for the directors' boardroom was placed for sale at Phillips in 2019.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b "Midland Bank - HSBC Global Archives". HSBC UK. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ a b Lutyens, Martin. "Visit to No 27 Poultry, Former Midland Bank HQ". Lutyens Trust. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ "The Story of The Ned City of London". The Ned. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ Weller, Anthony. "The Ned, City of London". RIBA. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ Lindsey, Calum (21 November 2017). "The Ned awarded Hotel of the Year at AHEAD Europe Awards 2017". Dezeen. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ Conroy, Jade (3 October 2017). "The Ned". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ "Scandal". Victoria & Albert Museum. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Mulberry House, 36 Smith Square SW1" (PDF). OnTheMarket. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Sir Edwin Lutyens - Important Design". Phillips. 20 March 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ Historic England. "Midland Bank, 27-35, Poultry (Grade I) (1064598)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 January 2024.