Not to be confused with Staple Inn, a Grade I listed Tudor inn complex whose restoration was funded by the Prudential Assurance Society, at 1–4 Holborn Bars on the south side of Holborn[1].
Prudential Assurance Building, 142 Holborn, CamdenHolborn: Waterhouse Square, 142 Holborn Bars, EC1 Waterhouse Square is an internal courtyard at the rear of the Prudential Assurance building and is named after Alfred Waterhouse, the original architect of that building. This photo was taken from under the arch in 667977 and shows the domed skylight feature.
Holborn Bars, also known as the Prudential Assurance Building is a large red terracotta Victorian building on the north side (138–142) of Holborn in Camden at the boundary of the City of London, England. The block is bounded by Holborn to the south, Brooke Street to the west, Leather Lane to the east and Beauchamp Street to the north. It is currently occupied by De Vere Venues and also the London office of English Heritage at 1 Waterhouse Square.
The building was modified between 1930 and 1932 by E. M. Joseph,[5] who introduced Art Deco features,[6] and expanded again in 1993 by EPR Architects to a floor area of 34,931 square metres.[6] Prudential moved out of the building in 1999 but retained ownership of it.[6]
Description
The building originally featured a library, restaurant, chapel, hall, rooftop promenade and a women's entrance.[6] It was electrically lit and featured hot running water.[6] The complex now encloses a courtyard, Waterhouse Square, named after the original architect.[5] The building was listed Grade II* on 3 March 1972.[5][7]