Monday, February 29, 2016

Imperial Airways Empire Terminal (1939), 157-197 Buckingham Palace Rd., Westminster, London SW1


This iconic Art Deco/Art Moderne building near Victoria Station in London was originally built by Imperial Airways in 1939. designed by architect Albert Lakeman in 1938. The building is very adequately described by Chris Taylor:

http://taylorempireairways.com/2009/11/imperial-airways-building-sw1/

and also on The Beauty of Transport blog:

https://thebeautyoftransport.wordpress.com/2014/01/08/an-airline-terminal-in-the-city-centre-empire-air-terminal-london-uk/

I will, therefore, just add a few photos showing some of the architectural features.


This statue by Eric R. Broadbent is known as Speed Wings Over the World, and bears the insignia of the Imperial Airways company, which in later incarnations was known as British Overseas Airways Corporation and then British Airways. The building is now owned by the National Audit Office and was refurbished at a cost of 60 million pounds in 2009.




The central clock tower is 10 storeys high.


The metal window frames are beautifully designed.





Overall, it's a real delight.



Beautiful entrance way with more masterful metalwork. Wish I had taken more notice of it when I was a kid and it was the BOAC HQ.