Hoares Bank, London

The premises of C. Hoare and Company, at number 37 Fleet Street  are the work of Charles Parker, completed around 1837. The building is grade II* listed and contains a fine collection of late Regency interiors.

We were commissioned to design a series of rooms to house and display the bank's collections within areas used at the time as offices. This required re-organising the circulation and seamlessly integrating modern display cabinets, and environmental control into the fabric of the 1837 building. This was the project's greatest challenge.

The project had its light-hearted aspects: when English Heritage expressed reservations regarding a new door connecting  two of the rooms, we designed it to appear as a bookcase, complete with real books.

A new dining room with panelling and furniture, designed by David Lindley, was also constructed under our direction.