140 Gower Street

140 Gower Street was the headquarters of the Security Service (MI5) from 1976 to 1994. The site was acquired by the Wellcome Foundation in 1998.

140 Gower Street
140 Gower Street (on the immediate left)
General information
LocationGower Street, London
Coordinates
Completedc.1950
Technical details
Floor count10

History

In the late 19th century the site at 140 Gower Street was occupied by a modest three-story building which was used by George J. W. Pitman, book publishers.[1] Then in the first half of the 20th century the same building was used for the secondhand book section[2] of H.K. Lewis & Company, book sellers.[3][4][5]

In 1950 the site was acquired by a property developer.[6] After the bookshop was demolished, the site was redeveloped and a new ten-story building constructed in the early 1950s.[7] The new building was occupied by various government offices including the Commission on Industrial Relations.[8] The Security Service (MI5), who had relocated from Leconfield House, occupied the new building, known simply as "140 Gower Street", in 1976:[9] the Director-General's office was on the 6th floor.[10] MI5 moved out of the building to Thames House in 1994[9] and the site was acquired by the Wellcome Foundation in 1998 and then redeveloped as "Babcock House".[11]

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References
  1. "Stammering, stuttering and lisping". The Cambrian. 13 May 1881. p. 4. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  2. "H.K. Lewis, Book Publisher, Seller & Lending Library, London". Australian Postal History and Social Philately. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  3. Roberts, J R Howard; Godfrey, Walter H (1949). "'Plate 31: No. 140 Gower Street', in Survey of London: Volume 21, the Parish of St Pancras Part 3: Tottenham Court Road and Neighbourhood,". London. p. 31. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  4. Roberts, J R Howard; Godfrey, Walter H (1949). "'Plate 32: No. 140 Gower Street', in Survey of London: Volume 21, the Parish of St Pancras Part 3: Tottenham Court Road and Neighbourhood,". London. p. 32. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  5. Roberts, J R Howard; Godfrey, Walter H (1949). "'Gower Street', in Survey of London: Volume 21, the Parish of St Pancras Part 3: Tottenham Court Road and Neighbourhood,". London. pp. 78–84. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  6. "Sale of sites adjoining Euston Square Station, London". The Wellcome Library. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  7. Berkeley, Roy (2014). A Spy's London. Pen and Sword. p. 233. ISBN 978-1473827202.
  8. "No. 19109". The Edinburgh Gazette. 23 June 1972. p. 552.
  9. "The Secret Architecture of London". Geocities. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  10. Wright, Peter (1987). Spycatcher. William Heinemann Australia. p. 1. ISBN 978-0855611668.
  11. Value Added Tax and Duties Tribunals reports. The Stationery Office. 2010. p. 512. ISBN 978-0117836501.
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