Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO)—which owns and manages the British military infrastructure —has confirmed it will consider offers for the Old War Office in London’s Whitehall later this month.
Completed in 1906 and located on Horse Guards Avenue the neo-Baroque building was, for 58 years, the home of the Government department responsible for the administration of the British Army. When the War Office was abolished in 1964, and the building was transferred to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), its seven floors contained around 1,000 rooms linked by two-and-a-half miles of corridors.
In August last year it was announced the landmark building, which cost a staggering £1.2m to build, would be put up for sale with a guide price in excess of £100m. Twelve months later, the MOD is finally preparing the Grade II listed building for its disposal.
GVA has been appointed to market the 430,000sq ft trapezium shaped building. “The Old War Office is an important building with significant importance in British history, set within the heart of central London,”said the commercial property agent in a statement.
“The building represents a trophy asset, a unique opportunity to capture the imagination of developers from the residential and commercial markets around the world. Potential uses for the building following redevelopment include residential and hotel.”
Both the DIO and its agent are talking to Westminster City Council and English Heritage in an attempt to agree a Planning and Conservation Plan for the building. A development consensus needs to be reached to protect the important heritage aspects of the property.
The remaining MoD staff are in the process of moving across the road to the ministry’s main Whitehall building prior to the sale, which is expected to eliminate annual running costs of about £8m. Profits from the deal will be “used to support defence priorities”, explained Wendy Ivess-Mash, the DIO’s deputy head of acquisitions and disposals.
“The MoD continually examines ways of improving military capability and value for money for the taxpayer,”she added. “As part of this approach the MoD keeps the size and location of its bases and properties under constant review and is committed to ensuring that the defence estate is no larger than necessary to meet operational needs.”
The Old War Office —in which David Lloyd-George and Winston Churchill had offices during both World Wars —has an impressive and dangerous history.
Its first brick was laid in 1901 and, by its completion, the rambling Edwardian property had used 25-million bricks and thousands of tonnes of Portland and York stone. On its roof are sculptures symbolising Truth and Justice, Peace and War and Victory.
During the Second World War it was hit several times by German bombs, killing one person, but which left the building relatively damage free. It closed in the mid-1980s for refurbishment and re-opened again in 1992 as the new headquarters of the defence intelligence staffs.
