Summit House (Head Office, Austin Reed Limited), 12 Red Lion Square, Holborn
NEW PREMISES, RED LION SQUARE, W.C. - The building only consists of a portion of the scheme. The Red Lion Square doorway would be the centre of the building to that frontage, and extension would be made up Dane Street, to finish round on to Eagle Street, to make the complete block. With regard to materials, terra cotta was used for several reasons. Firstly, for convenience in making an extension of the premises at any time, it will only be necessary to clean down the present portion to make a homogeneous mass. Secondly, the arrangements made regarding the height of surrounding properties were that some light-coloured material should be used. The front portion of the building constitutes the general offices of the company, and the basement and rear portions are used as a warehouse, from which the various branches of the company are fed. This is easily managed by means of the spacious yard at the rear, where there is also garage accommodation. The ground floor is used for the buying department, for interviewing travellers, etc. The first floor contains the general offices, and on this floor, there is also the board room. On the second floor is the mail order department, and on the third floor further offices, lecture room, housekeeper’s flat, etc. The portion facing Eagle Street, and the entire basement is fitted with steel shelving for the storage of stock, except the display department and the advertising studio. The building is a steel-framed structure, with fire-proof doors and sprinkler installation. There are modern electrical lifts.
Main contractors: Messrs. William F. Blay, Ltd. Sub-contractors: Steelwork, Messrs. Redpath Brown & Company ; floors, Messrs. Diespeker & Company; terra cotta, Messrs. Gibbs & Canning; marble and terrazzo, Messrs. Fenning & Company; glazed brick work and sanitary fittings, Stourbridge Glazed Brick & Fire Clay Company Ltd; sprinklers and iron doors, Messrs. Mather & Platt; lifts, Messrs. Smith, Major & Stevens; heating, Messrs. Chas. P. Kinnell & Company; electric lighting, Messrs. Tyler & Freeman; asphalt, Messrs. Ragusa Asphalte Company, Ltd; wall finishing to main hall and staircase, Messrs. Lapidosus Patent Stone Facing: steel skylights, copper light glazing, pavement lights, Messrs. G. C. Cuthbert & Company; steel balconies, Messrs. Harold Cooper & Company; steel sashes, Messrs. Taylor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.; large metal window to Red Lion Square front and railings, etc., Messrs. The Birmingham Guild, Ltd; steel fixtures, Messrs. Sankey-Sheldon; internal telephone system, Messrs. Dictograph Telephones, Ltd; floor coverings in general, Messrs. Skellorn Edwards; board room furniture and carpet, Mr. George Williamson; ironmongery, Messrs. Yannedis & Company. [The Architect 7 August 1925 page 102]
No. 12 Red Lion Square, to be the new offices of Messrs. Austin Reed, Ltd., designed by Messrs. Westwood & Emberton, architects, is in course of reconstruction by William F. Blay, Ltd. The building is at the corner of Dane Street, and in part stretches back into Eagle Street. Carrara (or similar) ware is being used for the facing. Redpath, Brown & Co., Ltd., are supplying the steel. [The Architect 29 August 1924 page 133]
The greatest fault of the Austin Reed building is the material with which it is faced, pale mustard colour tiles; while the former is of brick. Objection has been raised to the Red Lion Square building on the grounds of its uncivil lack of relationship to the rest of the square. This cannot be helped. The square is to be rebuilt, and the process must necessarily involve a temporary inconsistency. There is little to regret in the Square, while the Church of St. John, St. George's Mansions and other buildings are vile. The Austin Reed house is an interesting experiment, particularly in the slope of the outer walls, which produces a modified pylon effect. The simplicity and rhythmic harmony of the Dane Street facade is altogether admirable. I do not like the long, rather arty " window on the front, the petty, gilded waterhead on the railings; least of all do I like the lingerie å la Mestrovic attached in panels to the main doors. But these are details, and when the building is complete it will be one of the best of modern times. [Saturday Review of Politics Literature, Science and Art 7 November 1925 page 14]
Reference The Architect 7 August 1925 page 102
Reference The Architect 29 August 1924 page 133
Reference Building News
Reference Saturday Review of Politics Literature, Science and Art 7 November 1925 page 14]