St Olaf House
ST OLAF HOUSE, TOOLEY STREET
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II*
- List Entry Number:
- 1385977
- Date first listed:
- 13-May-1971
- List Entry Name:
- St Olaf House
- Statutory Address:
- ST OLAF HOUSE, TOOLEY STREET
Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2001-09-28
- Reference:
- IOE01/05722/25
- Rights:
- © Mr David March. Source: Historic England Archive
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II*
- List Entry Number:
- 1385977
- Date first listed:
- 13-May-1971
- List Entry Name:
- St Olaf House
- Statutory Address 1:
- ST OLAF HOUSE, TOOLEY STREET
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
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.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
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.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- ST OLAF HOUSE, TOOLEY STREET
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Greater London Authority
- District:
- Southwark (London Borough)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- TQ 32903 80352
Details
SOUTHWARK
TQ3280SE TOOLEY STREET 636-1/17/789 (North side) 13/05/71 St Olaf House
II*
Hay's Wharf head offices. 1931. By HS Goodhart-Rendel. Steel frame with Portland stone cladding and dark, polished granite plinth; roof concealed behind parapet. STYLE: Continental Modern. PLAN: T-plan with long front to river, exposed steel stanchions support ground-floor which is open except for central entrance hall block at T crossing, and 2 smaller blocks either side of Street entrance way. EXTERIOR: Tooley Street front of 6 storeys with a wide central bay and a narrower bay at either side. Wide entrance way to ground-floor with rounded returns, each bearing a large, glazed, bronze light fitment; and above entrance in tall, gilt letters ST OLAF HOUSE now depicted in place of former name. Angles to returns of outer bays are rounded on all floors except on ground floor, where they are square, the square angle fading into the round at a point in the middle of the 1st floor. On the left angle, immediately above this point, an outline figure of St Olaf by Frank Dobson is drawn in black and gold mosaic with inscription: ST OLAF, KING OF NORWAY. Right bay has square doorway on ground floor with deep reveal and architrave of polished granite inscribed: ST OLAF HOUSE. Later double doors are bronze. Continuous glazing across centre bay on floors 1 to 4, each glazed row projecting as a shallow oriel. 5th floor has 5 square windows in moulded architraves and a lozenge-shaped, subsidiary window in similar architrave at either side of central window. Left bay has 3 narrow lights on floors 1 to 4, with 5th floor blank. Right bay has similar narrow windows on floors 1 to 4, but stepped up towards the centre indicating a staircase inside. 5th floor also blank. Gilt steel glazing bars to all windows. River frontage with canted angles has 7 bays of faceted windows with metal glazing bars. Contrasting with the functional emphasis of this elevation with its plain horizontals of glass and Portland stone, is a large relief panel by Frank Dobson of gilded metal and terracotta with black granite incised edge, surrounding the main rooms which have taller windows and balconies with gilded metal rails. INTERIOR: retains original entrance hall with terrazzo floor and alternate light and dark horizontal banding. Other
original features include staircase with distinctive metal balustrading, lifts, landings and light fittings. The 2 main directors' rooms, board room with common room beneath, occupying 3 floors of the river frontage, are well preserved. Offices now refurbished, and additional floors in roof. Built on the site of Flitcroft's St Olaf's Church. The building shows Swedish sources and is an important landmark in the introduction of the Continental Modern style into England in the 'thirties.
Listing NGR: TQ3290380352
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 471397
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 11-Jun-2026 at 02:01:44.
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