Sculptures on Asia House, 31-33 Lime Street
Along Lime Street – right by Leadenhall Market – look up to spy some wonderful sculptural details on Asia House.
Recently renovated by Trehearne Architects, Asia House was originally built in 1912-13.
It was designed by George Val Myer when he was only 30. His best known work is the BBC’s Broadcasting House on Portland Place.
But what stands out are the details.
Sculptured by John Broad of Doulton Ceramics, two delicate figures flank the entrance.
They’re made of Carrara ware, an enamel product invented by Doulton as a cheaper alternative to white marble.
With their shine back after a good clean they perhaps don’t look as convincing, but this older black and white photo from Layers of London shows how similar to marble they could have appeared.
Previously Asia House was home to a financial firm and unfortunately I haven’t been able to find out much more about the occupiers.
Today it’s home to Scor, a reinsurance company which have a fittingly global presence and have multiple offices in South East Asia.
Doulton Ceramics can be seen all over London (and beyond) and one of their most spectacular buildings is their former showroom in Lambeth.
Click on the image above to read the full post.
Penny Nibbs
Thank you so much for this info which I have been searching for, for a long time. Now I can annotate the pics I took in 2015 correctly.