| Thames House | |
|---|---|
 View of Thames House fromMillbank | |
 Interactive map of Thames House | |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Office |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical |
| Location | 11 and 12 Millbank,City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°29′38″N0°07′32″W / 51.49389°N 0.12556°W /51.49389; -0.12556 |
| Current tenants | Security Service (MI5) |
| Construction started | 1929 |
| Completed | 1930 |
| Renovated | 1990–1994 |
| Renovation cost | £227m |
| Owner | HM Government |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Portland stone andgranite |
| Floor count | 8 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Sir Frank Baines |
| Architecture firm | Office of Works |
| Other designers | Charles Sargeant Jagger (Sculptures) |
| Renovating team | |
| Architect | GMW Architects |
| Renovating firm | Property Services Agency and Security Service (MI5) |
| Structural engineer | Oscar Faber & Partners |
| Quantity surveyor | Northcroft, Neighbour & Nicholson |
| Main contractor | J Mowlem & Co. |
| Other information | |
| Public transit access |  Westminster |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Official name | Thames House (North and South Blocks With Bridge Link) |
| Designated | 16 January 1981 |
| Reference no. | 1267604 |
Thames House is an office building inMillbank,London, on the north bank of theRiver Thames adjacent toLambeth Bridge. Originally used as offices byImperial Chemical Industries (ICI), it has served as the headquarters of the United Kingdom's internalSecurity Service (commonly known as MI5) since December 1994. It also served as the London headquarters of theNorthern Ireland Office (NIO) until March 2013.
The building was constructed in 1929–30 byJohn Mowlem & Co on riverside land cleared after the disastrous1928 Thames flood severely damaged run-down residential properties. It was built to designs by SirFrank Baines, of the Government'sOffice of Works. It is of design uniform with but not identical toImperial Chemical House which is opposite it on the north side ofHorseferry Road; while Imperial Chemical House remained exclusively for ICI until its exit, Thames House had additional tenants alongside ICI throughout history, including the London headquarters of International Nickel Ltd. Baines's design owes much to the 'Imperial Neoclassical' tradition of SirEdwin Lutyens and deliberately ties in with the Imperial design of Lambeth Bridge when it was redesigned from 1929. High up on the frontage are statues ofSt George andBritannia sculpted byCharles Sargeant Jagger. It was owned by Thames House Estates until it was sold to the British Government in 1994. Thames House Estates was jointly owned by ICI andPrudential for many years and subsequently was wholly owned by ICI.[1]
The building has beenlisted Grade II on theNational Heritage List for England since 16 January 1981.[2]
Thames House was first used byMI5 between 1934 and 1939: the service was located on the top floor of the South Block.[3]
The service relocated toBlenheim Palace for much of the Second World War and then moved toLeconfield House after the war before relocating to140 Gower Street in 1976.[4] The dispersed and dilapidated state of its previous buildings at 140 Gower Street (headquarters) andCurzon Street House (registry, administration and technical services) led MI5 to seek a new home in the late 1980s. TheSecret Intelligence Service (MI6) were engaged in a simultaneous hunt for new headquarters and consideration was given to co-location of the two. However this proposal was abandoned, due to the lack of buildings of adequate size (existing or proposed) and the security considerations of becoming a single target for attacks. At the same time, Thames House, which was largely used as government offices by then, became vacant when theDepartment of Energy left the southern half in 1989 and it was decided to convert and refit much of it for MI5's use. TheGMW Partnership undertook the design and Mowlem carried out the necessary reconstruction work from 1990, which included part-infilling of the building's distinctive archway.[5] An automated miniature monorail within the building brings files up from the basement of Thames House to staff working within.[6]
The refurbished Thames House was officially opened on 30 November 1994 by Prime MinisterJohn Major.[6][7]
The building was shared with theNorthern Ireland Office (NIO) until that organisation moved to 1Horse Guards Road alongsideHM Treasury and theCabinet Office in 2013.[8]
On 1 June 2007, the building (other than the steps that give access to it) was designated as a protected site for the purposes of Section 128 of theSerious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005. The effect of the act was to make it a specific criminal offence for a person totrespass into the building.[9]
Until its seventh series, theBBC television seriesSpooks used the exterior and lobby of theFreemasons' Hall inGreat Queen Street as a location for the show's portrayal of Thames House. Since then Thames House has been used, although Freemasons' Hall is still used to show the entrance to the building.[10]
Thethird series of theBBC television seriesTorchwood used Thames House as the setting for the arrival of an alien species on Earth.[11]
