54 Broadway
54 Broadway sometimes known as Broadway buildings is an office building in Broadway, London.
| 54 Broadway | |
|---|---|
 54 Broadway (on the right) | |
| |
| General information | |
| Location | Westminster, London |
| Coordinates | |
| Completed | 1924 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 9 |
History
The building, which has a prominent mansard roof, was completed around 1924, when it became the main operating base for the Secret Intelligence Service.[1][lower-alpha 1] During the Second World War it had a brass plaque identifying it as the offices of the "Minimax Fire Extinguisher Company".[1] Sir Stewart Menzies, Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service, had access to a tunnel, which connected 54 Broadway to his private residence in Queen Anne's Gate.[2] Kim Philby, who worked in the building during the war, described it as
a dingy building, a warren of wooden partitions and frosted glass windows served by an "ancient lift".[3]
The building has been used as overflow facility by London Underground, based at 55 Broadway, since the Secret Intelligence Service moved out to Century House in 1964.[4]
Notes
- SIS had previously been based at 2 Whitehall Court.
References
- Berkeley, pp. 7-8
- Alan Judd (24 September 2000). "One in the eye for the Vauxhall Trollop". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
- Philby, Kim (2003). My silent war. Modern Library. ISBN 978-0375759833.
- "Top secret: A century of British espionage". The Independent. 5 October 2009. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
Sources
- Berkeley, Roy (1994). A Spy’s London. London: Leo Cooper. ISBN 978-1473827202.