LOC’s Ugly Duckling

We have in effect carried-out a total reconstruction, from a new roof all the way through to a new basement floor. Completely renewed services, a cat’s cradle of steel girders to provide a strong and durable frame, a new staircase, lift and lift shaft, and above all else (well, below in fact, on the lower ground floor) a really beautiful extension to our treatment suite. Old plasterwork has been restored, historic details revealed, new floors inserted and dozens of partitions removed. The great new spaces that now burst upon our senses include the elegant oval 18th century stairwell, with a new lantern above flooding it with light for the first time in a century, and an awe-inspiring first floor room across the whole front of the building. This was previously four partitioned rooms, but is now returned to its original scale and grandeur. The ceiling in here, the 18th century original, is spectacular.

Westminster Council was anxious for it to be restored and illuminated it so that once again it can be seen and enjoyed by those passing in the street. The ground floor entrance hall and lobby is also an impressive space, with the original marble floor refurbished and repaired, and the grand sweeping art deco stair up to the first floor returned to its curvaceous glory. And light: lots and lots of light, brightening the lives of all who will work and be treated here. We should also mention the new lift, faster and more responsive, we are promised, than the sluggard in 95, and the ambitious new staircase running from the 1st to the 4th floor based on the Edwardian original.

This was a serious undertaking, and a beautiful piece of craftsmanship and joinery. Our architects (Gary Toon and Ulla Gala), builders (Steve Davies and his team from Collins Construction) and project managers (Guy and Jon from Bollingbrook) have done the most superb job for us, and we are very grateful for all their skills and advice which have enabled the renaissance of this place. The finishing touches to 97 and the revisions in No 95 will all finally be completed around mid-October. These two buildings now combine the Edwardian confidence of No 95 with the rejuvenated 1774 Georgian splendor of No 97. And together, they provide the most beautiful and uplifting centre for chemotherapy in the UK.

Posted on Thursday, 30 September 2010 under Homepage