C. Hoare & Co, 37 Fleet Street, London
C. Hoare & Co, 37 Fleet Street, London
C. Hoare & Co. is a British private bank, founded in 1672. It is a twelfth generation family business and the oldest privately-owned bank in the United Kingdom worldwide, having had English playwright John Dryden, writer Jane Austen and poet Lord Byron as clients. Built in1829, the principal bank on Fleet Street was described by the architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner as "the finest early C19 bank in London". Despite being badly damaged by bombing during the Second World War, the Grade II* listed building is still in use as offices and private rooms for clients as well as now comprising a Museum of the bank's long history.
Acting as structural engineers alongside ADAM Architecture, we first appraised the conditions of the existing courtyard and basement structure, before advising on the refurbishment and restoration of the Banking Hall and the re-landscaping of the Garden Courtyard. The work also involved improving accessibility to the central courtyard and introducing new M&E services to allow for improved environmental performance of the building. In the garden, new planters and a new pond and feature sculpture are to be introduced, which have required associated advice on waterproofing and their load implications on the basement below.
Client: C. Hoare & Co
Architect: ADAM Architecture