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.
| 140 Gower Street | |
|---|---|
 140 Gower Street (on the immediate left) | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Gower Street, London |
| Coordinates | 51°31′32″N 0°08′08″W / 51.52543°N 0.13566°W |
| Completed | c.1950 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 10 |
History
editIn 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]
References
edit- ^ "Stammering, stuttering and lisping". The Cambrian. 13 May 1881. p. 4. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
- ^ "H.K. Lewis, Book Publisher, Seller & Lending Library, London". Australian Postal History and Social Philately. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
- ^ Roberts, J R Howard; Godfrey, Walter H (1949). "'Plate 31: No. 140 Gower Street', in Survey of London: Volume 21, the Parish of St Pancras Part 3: Tottenham Court Road and Neighbourhood". London. p. 31. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
- ^ Roberts, J R Howard; Godfrey, Walter H (1949). "'Plate 32: No. 140 Gower Street', in Survey of London: Volume 21, the Parish of St Pancras Part 3: Tottenham Court Road and Neighbourhood". London. p. 32. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
- ^ Roberts, J R Howard; Godfrey, Walter H (1949). "'Gower Street', in Survey of London: Volume 21, the Parish of St Pancras Part 3: Tottenham Court Road and Neighbourhood". London. pp. 78–84. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
- ^ "Sale of sites adjoining Euston Square Station, London". The Wellcome Library. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
- ^ Berkeley, Roy (2014). A Spy's London. Pen and Sword. p. 233. ISBN 978-1473827202.
- ^ "No. 19109". The Edinburgh Gazette. 23 June 1972. p. 552.
- ^ a b "The Secret Architecture of London". Geocities. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
- ^ Wright, Peter (1987). Spycatcher. William Heinemann Australia. p. 1. ISBN 978-0855611668.
- ^ Value Added Tax and Duties Tribunals reports. The Stationery Office. 2010. p. 512. ISBN 978-0117836501.