Unilever House

Unilever House stands on New Bridge Street beside the Thames in the City of London. A Grade II listed office building, it rises in a tall, curving frontage of Neoclassical Art Deco style. The river side looks directly across to Blackfriars Bridge. The site once held Bridewell Palace, a Tudor residence of Henry VIII that later became a prison. After the palace was demolished in 1864, De Keyser’s Royal Hotel occupied the ground. In 1920 Lord Leverhulme secured the land for Lever Brothers’ London headquarters, which became Unilever in 1930. The building was designed by James Lomax-Simpson with John James Burnet and Thomas S. Tait. Simpson provided the overall concept while Burnet and Tait added details. Holland, Hannen & Cubitts served as main contractor. The entrance corners carry sculptures of human figures restraining horses by Sir William Reid Dick, with merfolk figures by Gilbert Ledward. Inside, the lift cars were originally lined with pewter panels designed by Eric Gill. A 1977–83 refurbishment added parapet figures by Nicholas Monro and a new lobby by Theo Crosby. In 2004 Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates renovated the interior, keeping original parquet floors and Gill’s lift panels. A roof garden now crowns the building. The curving façade and giant Ionic columns remain the most striking features.