Description

TQ 3079 NW and 3080 SW CITY OF WESTMINSTER WHITEHALL SWl
83/87 ;92/6 (West side)
5.2.70

Treasury Buildings
(Cabinet Office and Privy Council Office)
GV

Remains of Henry VIII Whitehall Palace; Dorset House; Kent's Treasury; Privy
Council and Cabinet Offices; all in use as government offices. c.1530; Dorset
House c.1700-lO; "new" Treasury 1733-36 by William Kent; Privy Council and
Cabinet Offices 1824-27 by Sir John Soane, remodelled and altered as Treasury
1845-47 by Sir Charles Barry and gutted and rebuilt internally, retaining some of Soane's work, 1960-64. Restored remains of Palace red brick with stone dressings;Dorset House stock brick, slate roof; Portland stone and slate roof for Kent,Soane and Barry work. Whitehall Palace: Cockpit Passage and gable wall of Small Close Tennis Court restored 1962-63 to Tudor state, a 2-storey,4-window wide range with square headed recessed entrances with wooden lintels and stone arched doorways with wrought iron hanging hooks and striking plates; square headed stone windows of 3 arched lights with wrought iron standards and saddle bars; stone parapet with moulded stone coping ; re-constructed stone arched fireplace with decorated spandrels on 1st floor; foundations of Small Close Tennis Court exposed on Treasury Green. Turret and window bay of Great Close Tennis Court preserved in Dorset House up to former roof level; brick octagonal turret with stone dressings and flint chequers; the window bay has small, stone, arched, single light cellar window and large, stone, arched 3-light window , with wrought iron standard and saddlebars, to hall above cellar. Dorset House:
c.1700-11 with later C18th alterations incorporating the Tudor Great Close
Tennis Court whose eastern facade was rebuilt by Barry, 1846-47; rear elevation
of multi-coloured stock brick, 4 storeys, one window wide with 2-storey canted
bay of 3 windows; recessed glazing bar sashes under flat and segmental gauged brick arches, the 1st floor windows semicircular arched with radial glazing; plain brick plat bands at floor levels, parapet with coping; continuous wrought iron balcony to 1st floor of canted bay; fine interior (largely restored 1962-63 to early C18 state) with cut and carved string staircase with twisted balusters
and columnar newels, the compartment and the ceiling redecorated c.1730-40;
Lord President's Room has grand decoration probably by Kent, contemporary with
his Treasury Building, with elaborated chimney piece, the broken scrolled pediment of the overmantel crowned by an eagle, fine plasterwork ceiling; doorcase in Clerk's room of same date; etc. Kent's Treasury of 1733-36 has principal front to north on Horse Guards Parade, ashlar rusticated facade; yet another variant on the Burlington-Palladio General Wade's House theme, intended to have wings; the completed main block of 3 storeys, 7 windows wide with 3-window pedimented centre-break; semicircular arched central entrance to Treasury Passage in low arcaded ground floor; square headed recessed glazing bar sashes set in large semicircular arched blank panels, with blind balustrading below sills, to upper floors, the central 1st floor window pedimented and the central 2nd floor window of Venetian design filling the panel; the 2nd floor of centre break articulated by engaged Ionic columns supporting the pediment which contains a cartouche of Royal Arms and festoons; plat band over ground floor, entablature beneath 2nd floor and crowning modillion cornice. The west return to Treasury Garden has 4 storeys including low attic; 3 windows wide including recessed portion of 5 windows; rusticated ashlar to ground floor, ashlar above; arcaded ground floor windows, square headed on 1st floor and set in blank arcade on 2nd floor, small square attic windows; plat band 2nd floor entablature and main cornice returned from front. Irregular plain brick elevation to south. Fine interiors (restored 1960-63) with good plasterwork ceilings, chimney pieces and doorcases; in particular the principal 1st floor rooms; the Board Room with a very elaborate Kent chimney piece with coupled columns and coupled stone termini pilasters decorated with wreaths flanking the overmantel (and original suite of furniture- not listed): Room No 65 lined with cupboards panelled and articulated by Corinthian pilasters; etc. Privy Council and Cabinet Offices: Soane's 1824-27 building remodelled and enlarged by Barry 1845-47 re-using Soane's columns and frieze; ashlar above rusticated ground floor; richly detailed early Victorian classicism; 3 storeys, basement and attics to end pavilions; 23 windows wide including 5-window terminal pavilions; 4 doorways in architraves with cornices on consoles, glazing bar sashes in architraves; 1st and 2nd floors evenly articulated by order of engaged Corinthian columns with pilasters flanking the slightly advanced pavilions; deep main entablature with enriched frieze and balustraded parapet; the pavilion attics with panelled pilasters;the balustraded parapets have ornate, carved urn finials on dies. Stone balustraded area. Return to Downing Street continued beyond pavilion by plain surviving part of Soane's building; 3 storeys, 4 windows wide; interior rebuilding of 1960-64 retains Soane's Judicial Offices in the south wing and his Downing Street and Whitehall entrance lobbies. R. C. H. M. Survey of London; vol XIV History of the King's Works; V and VI
Tracing a Palladio Elevation; Dan Cruickshank; AR 1045, March 1984

Listing NGR: TQ3012079956

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17527379

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Old House Handbook 2 Books Bundle Collection (Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair,Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability)
• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)