| 140 Gower Street | |
|---|---|
 140 Gower Street (on the immediate left) | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Gower Street, London |
| Coordinates | 51°31′32″N0°08′08″W / 51.52543°N 0.13566°W |
| Completed | c.1950 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 10 |
140 Gower Street was the headquarters of the Security Service (MI5) from 1976 to 1994. The site was acquired by the Wellcome Foundation in 1998.
In the late 19th century the site at 140 Gower Street was occupied by a modest three-story building which was used by George J. W. Pitman, book publishers. [1] Then in the first half of the 20th century the same building was used for the secondhand book section [2] of H. K. Lewis & Co. Ltd., book sellers. [3] [4] [5]
In 1950 the site was acquired by a property developer. [6] After the bookshop was demolished, the site was redeveloped and a new ten-story building constructed in the early 1950s. [7] The new building was occupied by various government offices including the Commission on Industrial Relations. [8] The Security Service (MI5), who had relocated from Leconfield House, occupied the new building, known simply as "140 Gower Street", in 1976: [9] the Director-General's office was on the 6th floor. [10] MI5 moved out of the building to Thames House in 1994 [9] and the site was acquired by the Wellcome Foundation in 1998 and then redeveloped as "Babcock House". [11]
Tottenham Court Road is a major road in Central London, almost entirely within the London Borough of Camden.
Goodge Street is a London Underground station on Tottenham Court Road in Fitzrovia, in the London Borough of Camden. It is on the Northern line's Charing Cross branch between Warren Street and Tottenham Court Road stations, and is in Travelcard Zone 1.
Euston Square is a London Underground station at the corner of Euston Road and Gower Street, just north of University College London – its main entrance faces the tower of University College Hospital. The multi-interchange Euston station is beyond Euston Square Gardens, which is one street east. The station is between Great Portland Street and King's Cross St Pancras on the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines in Travelcard Zone 1.
Fitzrovia is a district of central London, England, near the West End. The eastern part of area is in the London Borough of Camden, and the western in the City of Westminster. It has its roots in the Manor of Tottenham Court, and was urbanised in the 18th century. Its name was coined in the late 1930s by Tom Driberg.
Tavistock Square is a public square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden.
Euston Square is a large square in the London Borough of Camden in Central London. It lies on Euston Road, and Euston railway station and Euston bus station are on its northernmost side. Although “Euston Square” strictly refers to the square, in day to day use the name is often used to refer to Euston Square tube station, whose entrance is at the junction of Euston Road and North Gower Street. The southern half of the square was built over in the 1920s, leaving Euston Square Gardens on the north side in front of Euston station.
The Survey of London is a research project to produce a comprehensive architectural survey of central London and its suburbs, or the area formerly administered by the London County Council. It was founded in 1894 by Charles Robert Ashbee, an Arts-and-Crafts designer, architect and social reformer and was motivated by a desire to record and preserve London's ancient monuments. The first volume was published in 1900, but the completion of the series remains far in the future.
Gower Street is a two-way street in Bloomsbury, central London, running from Euston Road at the north to Montague Place in the south. The street is continued from North Gower Street north of Euston Road. To the south, it becomes Bloomsbury Street.
Charlotte Street is a street in Fitzrovia, historically part of the parish and borough of St Pancras, in central London. It has been described, together with its northern and southern extensions, as the spine of Fitzrovia.
Anthony Stephen Mathew (1734–1824) was a cleric the Church of England. He and his wife Harriet Mathew are most notable for their friendship and support of John Flaxman and William Blake and their gathering of intellectuals and artists salon in their house at Rathbone Place.
Rathbone Place is a street in central London that runs roughly north-west from Oxford Street to Percy Street. it is joined on its eastern side by Percy Mews, Gresse Street, and Evelyn Yard. The street is mainly occupied by retail and office premises.
Warren Street is a street in the London Borough of Camden that runs from Cleveland Street in the west to Tottenham Court Road in the east. Warren Street tube station is located at the eastern end of the street.
William Franks was an early English property developer who was instrumental in the development of Percy Street, Rathbone Street and Charlotte Street in central London in the area now known as Fitzrovia. He married a member of the Pepys family and built the Percy Chapel in Charlotte Street.
Conway Street is a street in the London Borough of Camden that runs from the Euston Road in the north to Maple Street in the south, being divided in the middle by Fitzroy Square in the south. The northern part of the street is crossed only by Warren Street.
Whitfield Street is a street in the London Borough of Camden that runs from Warren Street in the north to Windmill Street in the south. The street is crossed by Grafton Way, Maple Street, Howland Street, Wayland Street, and Goodge Street. Whitfield Place starts and ends in Whitfield Street on its eastern side. Hertford Place, Chitty Street and Scala Street all join Whitfield Street on its western side.
Grafton Way is a street in the London Borough of Camden that runs from Tottenham Court Road in the east to Fitzroy Street in the west. Whitfield Street and Grafton Mews adjoin Grafton Way.
Chitty Street is a street in the London Borough of Camden that runs between Charlotte Street and Whitfield Street. Charlotte Mews adjoins Chitty Street on its south side.
Scala Street is a street in the London Borough of Camden that runs between Charlotte Street and Whitfield Street. It was formerly known as Pitt Street but was renamed after the Scala Theatre when this occupied most of its north side. The street's postcode is W1T 2HW.
Hans Winthrop Mortimer (1734–1807) was a British property speculator and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1775 and 1790.
H. K. Lewis & Co. Ltd. was a prominent publisher, bookseller, and lender of books and journals, based in London. The company played a significant role in the field of medical and scientific publishing throughout the late 19th and 20th centuries. It occupied several premises in Gower Street and Gower Place in Bloomsbury, close to University College London (UCL), until it was acquired and dissolved by Pentos in 1989.