County Fire Office - a building in the historic center of London , on Regent Street ; forms the ensemble of Piccadilly Circus . In the years 1819-1970 served as the headquarters of the British insurance company County Fire Office Limited (existed from 1807 to 1985).
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Built in 1807 according to the project of the English architect Robert Abraham (1775-1850). Of particular value is the edge of the building, facing Pall Mall (southeast). The ground floor is formed by an open arcade , consisting of five arches. In the arcade there is a descent to the Piccadilly metro station. In its original form, the edge of the edge was decorated with columns of the Corinthian order , above which there was an entablature with a balustrade . In its modern form, the facade is crowned with a clock, two chimneys and a dome. A sculpture “Britannia” in the image of a woman in a Corinthian helmet, a shield and a trident sitting on a lion is installed on the acroteria [1] .
The initial appearance of the County Fire Office is similar to the early Somerset House , designed by the great London architect Inigo Jones , and burned in the Great Fire of 1666 [2] . The building is connected to the modern Somerset House by a green dome and a statue of Britain with a lion.
Notes
- ↑ Partington, Charles Frederick. National history and views of London with its environs. - London: A. Bell, 1834 .-- S. 113.
- ↑ Elms, James. Topographic Dictionary of London and its Environs = A Topographical Dictionary of London and Its Environs. - London: Whittaker, Tricher and Arnoth, 1831 .-- S. 151.
Literature
- Noux, Aubrey. County Fire Office, 1807-1957: A Commemorative History = The County Fire Office, 1807-1957: A Commemorative History. - HF & G. Witherby, 1957.- 189 p.