Sutton House

Reasons for Designation

Sutton House is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * Of special architectural interest for its striking and well-detailed Moderne façade and good, intact shop front, and wealth of interior fittings, including the privacy booths in the rear, which are rare, possibly unique, survivals; * Of special historic interest as a purpose-built inter-war pawnbroker's shop and pledge offices, and the premises of one of London's oldest pawnbrokers which became a high-class international establishment in the early-C20. It is thus rare, if not unique.

Details

1900/0/10417 VICTORIA STREET 19-AUG-09 Victoria 156-158 Sutton House

II Pawnbroker's shop and pledge offices. Built 1934-5 to the design of Reginald W Lone. Minor later-C20 alterations.

MATERIALS: Faced in dark red brick and Portland stone, with grey brick dressings.

EXTERIOR: Moderne style. 6 storeys and 3 bays, the central stone-faced bay canted above ground floor and flanked by stout fluted half-columns, surmounted by ziggurat centrepiece bearing inscribed date 1935. Aprons beneath windows are slightly concave. Bronze shop front with fluted pilasters on black granite plinth; facetted bronze stallrisers, etched glass transom lights with stylised Vitruvian scroll pattern. Hanging sign with the three pawnbroker's gilded spheres. Entrance to offices to left with panelled door and fanlight; on pilaster to right is the pawnbroker's sign in gilded relief.

INTERIOR: Shop retains extensive fittings, including polished veneer panelling, mostly original showcases, internal window shutters, glass light fittings and Moderne stepped plaster cornice. Rear part also panelled and has interesting survival of glazed polished hardwood booths for clients' privacy. The former pledge offices above have a stair with solid concrete balustrade; the offices' interiors however are much modernised and not of special interest. Most original doors survive throughout the building.

HISTORY: No. 156 Victoria Street was the premises of the pawnbroker Thomas Miller Sutton, who founded his firm in 1777 and moved to the present location in 1800. The firm acquired the adjacent house, No. 158, and built a new premises on the site of the two houses, the present Sutton House, in 1934-5.

The principal of the company during the pre-war years, also named Thomas Miller Sutton, was reputed to have been able to gauge the number of carats in a piece of gold jewellery simply by holding it. In 1934, Sutton refused to hand over the infamous Stavisky jewels, part of a cache pawned across the world by the swindler Alexandre Stavisky, despite immense pressure from the French authorities, during one of Europe's most politically volatile financial scandals of the C20. In the 1930s, Sutton's had offices in Paris, Cannes and Berlin and it was to Sutton's in London that many of Europe's wealthier citizens sent their valuables by means of a courier to raise funds. During WWII the European offices were taken over by the Third Reich and all their documents confiscated

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION: Sutton House is designated for the following principal reasons: * Of special architectural interest for its striking and well-detailed Moderne façade and good, intact shop front, and wealth of interior fittings, including the privacy booths in the rear, which are rare, possibly unique, survivals; * Of special historic interest as a purpose-built inter-war pawnbroker's shop and pledge offices, and the premises of one of London's oldest pawnbrokers which became a high-class international establishment in the early-C20. It is thus rare, if not unique.

SOURCES: www.suttonsandrobertsons.com

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

505151

Legacy System:

LBS

End of official list entry

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