111 Strand – A Street Map In Portland Stone

So much modern architecture is bland, built to a cost, and does not have any features that associate the building with its location or the activities carried out by the occupants of the building.

The same style and designs can be found across the country and indeed globally, whilst a trend towards relatively short-term occupation has driven design of buildings to provide a flexible shell and interior which can support many different occupiers over the life of the building.

I have previously written about buildings such as 262 High Holborn, Imperial Chemicals House and the Faraday Building, all of which were designed with decoration to illustrate something about the occupier of the building, or the activities carried out within.

I found another building recently, one which I have walked past many times and had not noticed the decoration covering one part of the building. across five floors of the facade.

This is 111 Strand.

111 Strand

The building dates from 2002 and the architect was Squire and Partners.

At first glance it looks like another standard office design with no redeeming features, however if you look at the right hand edge of the building, above the large street number 111, there is an intriguing design running from the first floor to the fifth.

111 Strand

Study the design and it clearly appears to be a street map, carved in Portland stone panels. Β It was created by the artists Langlands & Bell following a competition to work with the architects on the design of the building.

The street map represents a vertical segment of the local streets running north from Savoy Hill at the bottom of the map to the junction of Catherine Street and Tavistock Street. I have tried to align the map on the building to the actual street map from Google. This is shown below.

111 Strand

I have outlined 111 Strand in blue. The scaling of the two maps is slightly different, so they do not exactly align at the same level, however the area covered by the Portland stone map is very clear in the Google map.

From Savoy Place at the bottom of the map, it crosses Savoy Hill and Savoy Row to the location of 111 Strand. Then across the Strand to the location of the Lyceum Theatre and the junction of Wellington Street and Exeter Street, then across a diamond shape plot of land bounded by Exeter Street, Catherine Street, Tavistock Street and Wellington Street leading to where the top of the map is reached.

I really like the idea of having a street map carved on the facade of a building. It acknowledges the surrounding landscape and that the building is part of this landscape, however I do wonder why 111 Strand was not marked on the map to place the building within the surrounding streets. Interesting also the scope of the map. The River Thames is only slightly further to the bottom of the map and would have placed 111 Strand in relation to the river, which would also help explain why the Strand is named as it is.

I do like the attention to detail. If you look at the diamond-shaped plot of land at the top, the number and shape of the buildings along Tavistock Street at the top of the diamond are the same as in the Google map. Also within the diamond, the large block of the Duchess Theatre can be clearly seen.

I have no idea how I have missed this stone map in the fifteen years since 111 Strand was completed – I must be looking at new buildings with an inbuilt assumption that there is nothing of interest to see – I will have to pay more attention to more recent buildings in the future.

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8 thoughts on “111 Strand – A Street Map In Portland Stone

  1. Christopher Davis

    That’s fascinating – coincidentally, I am heading for Somerset House this morning so will be able to see 111 in the flesh.
    Many thanks

    Reply
  2. MattF

    The footage for Bob Dylan’s Subterranean Homesick Blues was shot at the intersection of Savoy Steps and Savoy Hill, just to the east of the grey shaded area. It’s arguably the world’s first pop music video and you can find websites discussing it. How did he stumble upon such an obscure spot? Well like any self-respecting anarchist hippie he was roughing it at the Savoy.

    Reply
  3. Jane Parker

    Thanks so much for looking into this – it’s been on my “To Do” for janeslondon for ages. Now all I need to do is post the pics and link to this post … when I finally get around to it, that is πŸ˜‰

    Reply
  4. David Barnard

    Thanks as usual for something so interesting
    I must have passed the ‘street map’ many times and had no idea it was there
    So this weekend I am going to look at the building.
    Best
    David

    Reply
  5. Brigitte Peters

    What a great website! Thanks for all the information and hints. This is really outstanding, unlike the usual travel blogs.
    Since I retired, I travel to London as often as possible. I started in autumn 2017 and I can’t stop. London was a love at first sight for me. Because I am an old creature I need a central hotel. From there I can start with my camera in all directions. That’s why I always book at the Strand Palace Hotel. And of course I noticed the facade at the other side of the Strand, wondered what it was supposed to represent. I did not even realize that it is a road map. Now I read the article and all of a sudden it is as clear as day. Thanks for that information.
    Last time, when I was in London, I concentrated on the Savoy Buildings. Especially the history of the Queen’s Chapel. This is why I know that the building next to number 111 (up to the Waterloo Bridge) belongs to the Duchy of Lancaster. And the Duke (not Duchess) is nobody else but the Queen. She receives here rental income, which she needs for the royal household. If I may tell you something about this, and perhaps over a good pub meal at the Coal Hole in the Strand – you are invited, of course – I would be delighted. I’ll be back in London in May at the latest, but I’m only looking for an opportunity to get there before then.
    I will send you the address of my London website, where I introduced myself to my readers.
    Many greetings and a happy new year to you!
    Brigitte Peters, Hamburg, Germany

    Reply
  6. Eddie Cole

    Thank you for another fascinating post. I cannot imagine the countless times I have walked passed 111 Strand and simply not looked at it sufficiently to register! I will make a special trip to look next week (or maybe tomorrow)!

    Reply

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