Century House, London
| Century House | |
|---|---|
 Century House as it appeared circa 1994–2001, after being vacated by SIS but before conversion to apartments | |
 Interactive map of the Century House area | |
| General information | |
| Location | Lambeth, London |
| Construction started | 1959 |
| Completed | 1964 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 22 |
Century House is a 22-storey building located at 100 Westminster Bridge Road in London. The building was designed in the modern style and constructed between 1959 and 1964.[1] It became the home of the Secret Intelligence Service following their move from 54 Broadway in 1964.[1] Though the location of their Broadway headquarters was classified information, The Daily Telegraph reported that it was "London's worst-kept secret, known only to every taxi driver, tourist guide and KGB agent".[2]
After 21 years in service as the headquarters of SIS, Century House was described as "irredeemably insecure" in a 1985 National Audit Office (NAO) report with several security concerns raised. Chief among those concerns was that the building was made largely of glass, and had a petrol station at its base.[2] The SIS subsequently moved its headquarters to a new building at Vauxhall Cross in 1994,[3] after which Century House was acquired by a developer, renamed the Perspective Building, and converted into an apartment block to a design by Assael Architecture. The conversion work was completed in 2003.[4]
References
- ^ a b Jones, Luke (8 November 2014). "The time when spy agencies officially didn't exist". BBC News Magazine. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
- ^ a b Judd, Alan (24 September 2000). "One in the eye for the Vauxhall Trollop". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
- ^ Usborne, Simon (5 October 2009). "Top secret: A century of British espionage". The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
- ^ "The Perspective Building". MyLondonHome. Retrieved 15 August 2025.