Century House, London

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Century House
CenturyHouse 1 Colour.jpg
Century House as it appeared circa 1994–2001, after being vacated by SIS but before conversion to apartments
Century House, London
General information
Location Lambeth, London
Construction started1959
Completed1964
Technical details
Floor count22
Design and construction
Architect(s)P. M. Devereux

Century House is a 22-storey building located at 100 Westminster Bridge Road in London. The building was designed by P. M. Devereux and constructed between 1959 and 1964.[ citation needed ] It became the home of the Secret Intelligence Service following their move from 54 Broadway in 1964. [1] Though the location of their Broadway headquarters was classified information, The Daily Telegraph reported that it was "London's worst-kept secret, known only to every taxi driver, tourist guide and KGB agent". [2]

The Perspective Building, formerly Century House, in 2006, after being converted to an apartment block Lambeth North Underground station and Century House - geograph.org.uk - 302154 optimized.jpg
The Perspective Building, formerly Century House, in 2006, after being converted to an apartment block

After 21 years in service as the headquarters of SIS, Century House was described as "irredeemably insecure" in a 1985 National Audit Office (NAO) report with several security concerns raised. Chief among those concerns was that the building was made largely of glass, and had a petrol station at its base. [2] The SIS subsequently moved its headquarters to a new building at Vauxhall Cross in 1994, [3] after which Century House was acquired by a developer, renamed the Perspective Building, and converted into an apartment block to a design by Assael Architecture. The conversion work was completed in 2003. [4]

References

  1. ↑ Jones, Luke (8 November 2014). "The time when spy agencies officially didn't exist". BBC News Magazine. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  2. 1 2 Judd, Alan (24 September 2000). "One in the eye for the Vauxhall Trollop". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  3. ↑ Usborne, Simon (5 October 2009). "Top secret: A century of British espionage". The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  4. ↑ "The Perspective Building". MyLondonHome. Retrieved 15 August 2025.

51°29′55″N0°06′37″W / 51.49873°N 0.11016°W / 51.49873; -0.11016

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