FORMER ROYAL INSTITUTE OF PAINTERS IN WATER COLOURS PREMISES, NOW FORMING PART OF PRINCE'S HOUSE

FORMER ROYAL INSTITUTE OF PAINTERS IN WATER COLOURS PREMISES, NOW FORMING PART OF PRINCE'S HOUSE, 190-195, PICCADILLY W1

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Overview

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1265805
Date first listed:: 30-May-1972
List Entry Name:: FORMER ROYAL INSTITUTE OF PAINTERS IN WATER COLOURS PREMISES, NOW FORMING PART OF PRINCE'S HOUSE
Statutory Address:: FORMER ROYAL INSTITUTE OF PAINTERS IN WATER COLOURS PREMISES, NOW FORMING PART OF PRINCE'S HOUSE, 190-195, PICCADILLY W1

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Date:: 2005-10-02
Reference:: IOE01/14497/10
Rights:: © Mr Anthony Rau. Source: Historic England Archive

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1265805
Date first listed:: 30-May-1972
Date of most recent amendment:: 02-May-2003
List Entry Name:: FORMER ROYAL INSTITUTE OF PAINTERS IN WATER COLOURS PREMISES, NOW FORMING PART OF PRINCE'S HOUSE
Statutory Address 1:: FORMER ROYAL INSTITUTE OF PAINTERS IN WATER COLOURS PREMISES, NOW FORMING PART OF PRINCE'S HOUSE, 190-195, PICCADILLY W1

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:: FORMER ROYAL INSTITUTE OF PAINTERS IN WATER COLOURS PREMISES, NOW FORMING PART OF PRINCE'S HOUSE, 190-195, PICCADILLY W1

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County:: Greater London Authority
District:: City of Westminster (London Borough)
Parish:: Non Civil Parish
National Grid Reference:: TQ2934380499

Details

1900/70/81 1900/81/71 02-MAY-03

PICCADILLY W1 (South side) 190-195 Former Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours premises, now forming part of Prince's House (Formerly listed as: PICCADILLY W1 190-195 The Royal Society of Painters in Water colour) (Formerly listed as: PICCADILLY W1 190-195) (Formerly listed as: PRINCES ARCADE 1-11 Former Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours premises, now forming part of Prince's House)

GV II

190-195 Piccadilly: Former Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours premises, now forming part of Prince's House.

Large institutional premises with shops and arcade to ground floor. 1881-3 by E.R. Robson; main sculptural embellishment by Onslow Ford. EXTERIOR: monumental institutional building in the Free Renaissance style. Portland stone, concealed roof. 3 storeys, the uppermost much higher. 9 bays at second floor height. Rusticated pilasters articulate ground and first floors, with late C20 shop fronts between. Second bay from right leads to the Prince's Arcade, with a projecting semi-circular balcony at first floor level, with an opening above, illuminating the double-height arcade. Ornamental railings (renewed) at first floor level in front of windows (renewed). Dentil cornice at second floor level. Projecting end bays with paired Corinthian pilasters. Lower pilastrade to centre of second floor front, with part-fluted pilasters carrying a garland-hung frieze. Over each pilaster is a triglyph and a scrolled terminal with anthemion. Triple windows to centre with allegorical sculptures in front, flanking a cartouche dated 1883: carved by Verheyden, they originally embellished the main entrance. Square moulded frames with roundels to each main bay: set within wreaths are busts on socles of the principal practitioners of the watercolourist's art: from left to right these represent Sandby, Cozens, Girtin, Turner, D. Cox, De Wint, Barret and W. Hunt. Blind wall over, expressing the former gallery behind. Balustraded parapet above crowning entablature, the frieze of which is inscribed in sunken capitals ROYAL INSTITUTE OF PAINTERS IN WATER COLOUR Fd. 1831; dentil cornice and with lion-head stops to the cymatium. Rear elevations faced in red and yellow brick. INTERIOR: not inspected, but known to be severely altered. The Prince's Arcade is a uniform arcade of shops, each with projecting shopfronts carried on scrolled brackets; the front section (now occupied by Nos 1-11 and 2-10 Prince's Arcade, is double height with a blind arcade at the upper level. The southern part is lower; the northernmost bay has decorative plasterwork to the ceiling incorporating Prince of Wales feathers set within wreaths and garlands. HISTORY: Now largely occupied (since 1976) by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, the premises were built to house the RIPWC, a body founded in 1831 as the New Society of Painters in Water Colours. The building reflects the status of the medium of watercolours in the Victorian period, a status that needed championing on account of Royal Academy resistance to accord water colours the respect accorded to oil painting. Artists, patrons and bankers combined to form the Piccadilly Art Galleries Co Ltd in 1881, which carried out the development. The eventual architect, E.R. Robson, was a friend of James Orrock, one of the principal figures behind the scheme. The original building was opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales in 1883: its main public gallery was named the Prince's Hall. The Prince's Hall was joined with the Prince's Hotel to the rear in 1900, and became used as a restaurant. The interior was considerably altered in 1907-8, when the facade underwent modification too. Further alterations took place in 1929-33 when the Prince's Arcade was inserted into the second bay from right. Bomb damage in WW2 led to further alterations, as did its post-war use as Pan-American Airlines' HQ premises (drastic change took place in 1956). Prince's Arcade was renovated in 1983. The building to the rear of the former RIPWC, now joined together as an office building named Prince's House, was originally built as the Prince's Hotel. The building is listed for the architectural quality of its street frontage to Piccadilly, and for its historical interest as a rare and remarkable art institution's premises. Prince's Arcade is also of special interest but the rear part of Prince's House, the former hotel, is of lesser interest.

SOURCE: The Builder, June 24 1882; Building News, 22 December 1882; Illustrated London News, April 28 1883; Survey of London Vol XXIX, The Parish of St James Westminster Pt 1 (1960), 260-1 and 274-5.

Listing NGR: TQ2934380499

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:: 423865
Legacy System:: LBS

Sources

Books and journals
'Survey of London' in The Parish of St James Westminster Part 1 South of Piccadilly: Volumes 29 and 30, , Vol. 29, (1960)

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.