Green light for façade repairs at the Grade II*-listed Chartered Accountants’ Hall

Listed building consent has been granted for repair works to the Grade II*-listed Chartered Accountants’ Hall – one of the most exuberant Arts and Crafts Baroque buildings in the City of London. The repairs will protect this architectural gem from long-term damage and ensure its continued resilience.

The headquarters of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) was completed in 1893 to the designs of John Belcher, with its external decorative frieze recording the subjects of interest to the accountants at the time – Science, Arts, Commerce, Manufacture and Shipping. The building that stands today was extended in two later phases, the first a sympathetic addition in the 1930s by Belcher’s student JJ Joass, followed by a dramatic brutalist addition in the 1960s by William Whitfield.

Sensitive conservation will be carried out to the 19^th-century Portland stone and the bush-hammered concrete of the Whitefield wing. This will involve repointing and replacing defective stonework, alongside careful poultice cleaning. Leadwork to the gutters and dormer windows will be renewed, and all the casement windows will be redecorated.

The perimeter railings will be redecorated, alongside a renewal of the façade lighting scheme. The interlocking glazed enclosures to the stairs and lift in the Whitfield wing will undergo like-for-like airtight replacements, upgrading them to contemporary standards by improving thermal performance.

Donald Insall Associates has worked with the ICAEW for several years. Previously, we led the full renovation and re-presentation of the former Council Chamber and Member’s Library. With consent granted for these important external repairs, we can ensure the Grade II*-listed Chartered Accountants’ Hall is protected from long-term damage and remains occupied for generations.

Project team

Client: Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales

Conservation architect: Donald Insall Associates

Structural engineer: Waterman Group

Quantity surveyor and project manager: Rider Levett Bucknall

Principal designer consultant: Safer Sphere

Asbestos consultant: Gresham Taylor Consultants Limited

Lighting Designer: Nulty Lighting