Subscription News Room

The old-fashioned White Hart Inn stood at the junction of High Street and St Sepulchre gate and projected into the highway. In 1818 the Corporation bought it and decided to auction it to be rebuilt according to plans provided by William Hurst, the successor to William Lindley’s practice.

In 1820 the Subscription News Room and Library was built on the site with a corner of greater breadth of curve than any that had preceded it.

This building was then demolished as part of a road widening scheme in St Sepulchre Gate in 1913.  Henry Beck was commissioned to erect a new corner building by Robert Marsh, shoe shop proprietor  of Regent Square. This is the property which still stands today although it has lost its hardwood shop fronts and new fascias obscure the base of the pilasters .
Unusually this is not the only building which occupies this corner site. To the left are Royal Buildings occupied by Santander. This was designed in 1912 by T H Johnson for Heasall A Lovell, a tailor.  It was always intended that the upper floors would be offices and early occupants included a solicitor and an electrical engineer

Choose Your Media to Continue on the Trail

To get to the next building on the Trail, we need to walk along St Sepulchre Gate to Printing Office Street, where there are Two Rounded Corner Buildings.

When you arrive, click the next button below to reveal more about the first of these rounded corner buildings,which was originally built for the Public Benefit Boot Co.