60 Years of the Royal College of Physicians

The Royal College of Physicians

The Royal College of Physicians building on St Andrews Place, opposite Regents Park was officially opened on 5th November 1964 by Queen Elizabeth II. The society, founded in 1518, had decided to move their headquarters from their building in Pall Mall to a new site, previously home to Someries House, a John Nash building damaged in World War II. The new headquarters was designed by Denys Lasdun, chosen after a process involving the interviewing of five architects. The new building had to fit into the surrounding stucco terraces, incorporate historical elements transferred from the old RCP headquarters and provide offices, meeting rooms, a dining room and a library. ​

A cross section of the main body of the building. Image from RIBApix.

Lasdun set the new building in a T-plan, with a white mosaic-clad entrance block balanced against a curving dark brick lecture theatre facing Regents Park, and a dark brick administration block along Albany Street, which is also home to the president's apartment.The overhanging library gallery at the front is supported by two thin columns, with groups of thin, vertical windows allowing light into the top floor. On the north side of the exterior is a rugged concrete staircase, a contrast with the more elegant staircases found inside.

The central staircase inside the college. Image from RIBApix.

Inside, a cantilevered staircase rises through the building which seems to open up as it gets higher, with galleries overlooking the space from each floor. The interior is finished in white marble and mosaic, with one wall full of official portraits of members, both ancient and modern. The cool 1960s modernity is counterbalanced by reminders of the institution's long history throughout the building. The Censors Room projects from the side of the building hanging above the garden area. Its exterior is clad in clean, mid-century white mosaic but the interior steps back to the 17th century with wood panelling by Robert Hooke and paintings from previous buildings. The shock of the ancient amidst the modern is a trick that Richard Rogers would use in the Lloyds building 20 years later, with the 1763 Committee Room recreated inside that High Tech temple. 

A drawing of the RCP showing the main building and the lecture theatre, with a Nash-era building behind. Image from RIBApix.

The second floor Harvevian library is a recreation of an 18th century place of learning, again panelled in wood and on two levels. At the east end of the building is the Osler room, which again takes up two floors, and provides dining and reception facilities, which can be divided by a hydraulic screen. Back down on the ground floor is a small spiral staircase down to the basement, with walls clad in subtly coloured tiles. Also on the basement level, is stained glass from a previous RCP building, reset by Keith New next to another staircase.The basement opens out onto the garden area looking out onto the terraces of St Andrews Place. On the northside is an extension from 1996, also by Lasdun, a circular meeting room, perfectly in the spirit of the original design. 

The circular meeting room, added by Lasdun in 1996. Image from RIBApix.

The building was much praised on its completion, with Pevsner calling it “one of the most distinguished buildings of its decade”. It was also awarded the RIBA Bronze Medal in 1964 and a Civic Trust Award in 1967. The building was listed in April 1998, and has been awarded Grade I status, a rare accolade for a post war building. The College has regular tours of the building and is a regular participant in the Open House London festival.

The Royal College of Physicians is one of many Denys Lasdun buildings featured in our Mini Guide No.4, dedicated to the work of the architect. It features 40 colour images of his buildings, including detailed descriptions and histories. Get your copy HERE