Millbank Toweris a 119-metre-high (390 ft)skyscraperin theCity of WestminsteratMillbank,by theRiver ThamesinLondon,England. The tower was constructed in 1963, and has been home to many high-profile political organisations, including theLabourandConservativeparties, and theUnited Nations.
| Millbank Tower | |
|---|---|
 Millbank Tower | |
 | |
| Record height | |
| Tallest in theUnited Kingdomfrom 1963 to 1964[I] | |
| Preceded by | CIS Tower |
| Surpassed by | BT Tower |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Office |
| Location | Westminster London,SW1 United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°29′32.0″N0°07′33.5″W/ 51.492222°N 0.125972°W |
| Completed | 1963 |
| Owner | David and Simon Reuben |
| Height | |
| Roof | 118 metres (387 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Lifts/elevators | 11: 4 × low rise Otis 411 Elevonics 5 × high rise Otis 411 Elevonics 1 × Otis 411 fire/goods all floors 1 × Otis 10UCL Ground to Basement Goods |
Listed Building– Grade II | |
| Official name | Millbank Tower |
| Designated | 24 November 1995 |
| Reference no. | 1242617 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Ronald Ward & Partners |
| Main contractor | John Mowlem & Co. |
History
editThe tower was constructed in 1963 forVickersand was therefore originally known asVickers Houseor theVickers Tower.It was designed by Ronald Ward and Partners and built byJohn Mowlem & Co.[1]It is a landmark on the London skyline, standing beside the River Thames, half a mile upstream from thePalace of Westminster.The tower has been owned byDavid and Simon Reubensince 2002,[2]while still being managed by its former ownerTishman Speyer Properties.It is a Grade IIlistedbuilding. Until theBT Tower's completion in 1964, Millbank Tower was the tallest building in the United Kingdom. The 2003 edition of thePevsnerarchitectural guide says that the Millbank Tower is "one of the few London office towers to have won affection", and contrasts it with the "boxy structure" of theShell ToweratWaterloo.
In 2010, the building was surrounded and occupied by thousands of student protesters who spontaneously branched off from a demonstration called by theNational Union of Students,which was campaigning against theCoalition government'sincrease of tuition fees; Millbank was the location ofConservative Campaign Headquartersat the time. The demonstration and occupation helped spawnfurther student protests that year.[3]
Occupants
editThe Millbank Tower has been home to many high-profile political and other organisations. From 1994 to 2002 theLabour Partyrented two floors in the base at the south of the site, for use as a general election campaign centre. Labour ran its1997 General Electioncampaign from these offices; after the election, the party vacated its headquarters atJohn Smith House,Walworth RoadSE17, to move to Millbank. Five years later, the £1 million per annum rent forced the party to vacate the tower and take out a mortgage of £5.5 million to relocate to 16–18 Old Queen Street, overlookingSt James's Park,which had 11,200 square feet of open plan premises.[4]
TheUnited Nationsalso had offices in the tower, but moved out in June 2003, also citing high rents. Other public bodies have continued to occupy the building, including theCentral Statistical Office,the predecessor of theOffice for National Statistics;theParliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman;the Local Government Ombudsman; theUK India Business Council;and theMinistry of JusticeRecords Management Service.[5]
Between 2006 and 2014, theConservative Partybased itscampaign headquartersat 30 Millbank, in the same complex as Millbank Tower.
Other floors in the tower are or have been occupied by organisations and commercial companies, including theEnvironment Agency,theWorld Bank(moved out in early 2022),[6]Altitude 360London, foreign exchange specialists World First, theSpecialist Schools and Academies Trust,theUK India Business Council,the London office ofMedopad,Canonical Ltd,theAudit Commission,event caterers Salt and Pepper, Private Food Design, the firm Lewis PR, the London office of theOpen Society Foundations,theLocal Government Boundary Commission for England,XLN TelecomandLeave.EU.
The building also housed the studios forRT UKprior to its closure in 2022.
From April 2018, the office of the now-defunctPeople's Votecampaign was based in the tower.[7]
Future
editIn April 2016, the Reuben brothers were granted permission byWestminster City Councilto redevelop the building, notwithstanding its Grade II Listed status.[8][9]The resulting development will comprise 207 high-end apartments, a 5-star hotel with 150 rooms, a gym, spa and swimming pool, and a new cultural centre. The redevelopment, which includes a plan for an additional three storeys on the main tower is set to break ground in 2024 once the existing tenancies cease.[10]
Gallery
edit-
Millbank Tower base -
Millbank Tower from Vauxhall, withThames Houseand thePalace of Westminstervisible in the background -
View of the Millbank Tower from Vauxhall bridge -
Millbank Tower from Millbank
References
edit- ^Mowlem 1822 - 1972, p.7
- ^Who owns Millbank Tower?-Financial Times,10 November 2010
- ^Myers, Matt (10 November 2020)."The Millbank Revolt, 10 Years On".Tribune.Retrieved17 November2020.
- ^"Labour announces new HQ location".The Guardiannewspaper.19 March 2002.Retrieved6 December2016.
- ^"About HM Courts & Tribunals Service".Hmcourts-service.gov.uk. 1 April 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 6 June 2011.Retrieved6 August2013.
- ^to 1 Tudor Street, London EC4;PropertyWeek:How to design offices to suit flexible and hybrid working,Matthew Driscoll, 10 Feb 2022
- ^"Inside the headquarters of Britain's anti-Brexit brigade".30 May 2018.
- ^Ramesh, Randeep; Booth, Robert (4 May 2016)."Goldsmith received £46,000 linked to luxury flat developers".The Guardian:12.Retrieved4 May2016.
…despite the scheme proposing the demolition of a Grade II listed building – considered a gem of modernist architecture.
- ^"Our Vision".JAN & Associates.Retrieved4 May2016.
- ^Reuben Brothers - Real Estate (7 April 2024)."Millbank Tower".Reuben Brothers.Retrieved7 April2024.