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Admiralty Arch for Sale

Sort of: Queen Offers Long Leasehold of Edwardian London Landmark

SIR ASTON WEBB’S great Edwardian Baroque office-building-cum-triumphal-gateway, Admiralty Arch, will be offered up for a long leasehold by HM Government. The Grade-I listed building, constructed between 1910 and 1912, is one of the best-known in London for finishing the long view down the Mall from Buckingham Palace and connecting it to Trafalgar Square beyond. Admiralty Arch features 147,300 square feet across basement, lower ground, ground, and five upper floors.

Savills have been appointed as the sole exclusive agent to seek interest in the long leasehold. “The Government’s objective is to maximise the overall value to the Exchequer from the re-use of Admiralty Arch,” the Savills press release noted, “and to balance this with the need to respect and protect the heritage of the building, now and in the future, enable the potential for public access and ensure awareness of, and be prepared to respond to, potential security implications.”

Our prediction: oil money from abroad will turn it into a hotel. Boring, I know!

Published at 7:50 am on Monday 20 February 2012. Categories: Architecture Featured Great Britain Tags: , , , .
Comments

How could they?

Everybody who was decent hated Labour’s repulsive policies.

This is done by a ToryGov. I didn’t vote for these wallahs so that they could scrap the Navy and RAF AND flog off Admiralty arch to some hideous Arab SWF to let it out to Greek cabinet ministers hoping to enchant their air-hostess girlfriends.

I shall never vote Tory ever again.

That is in fact irrelevant since I live in Scotland, but all considered…

Fondest,

P

— P 20 Feb 2012 4:16 pm

What an utter disgrace.

— Nic 21 Feb 2012 3:46 pm

These responses amuse me.
What else can you possibly expect from any British government of the last twenty years?

— B T Van Nostrand 22 Feb 2012 12:12 pm

It should be given to one, huge, Catholic family so that the establishment of old Conservative Britain faces the establishment of tomorrow’s conservative Britain. Imagine if the whole building were to be festooned in washing hanging out to dry, while Green park becomes a vegetable patch.

— Laszlo Wolff 31 Mar 2012 7:55 am

Laszlo, I like your vision of “austerity policy”. I’d like to see that!

Unfortunately, since it doesn’t involve raking in huge amounts of cash by H.M. government, I fear that isn’t going to happen … but, oh, what a washing line that would be!

— Hermann 4 Apr 2012 7:26 am
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