Site

The development of the southern side of Great Queen Street is complex: it's a story of overlapping rebuildings and extensions to the Freemasons' Tavern, the Freemasons' Hall and the Connaught Rooms.  If you want to untangle the threads the English Heritage listing statement is a good place to go.  Some of the history can be seen by looking closely at the building which sports this plaque: at first glance it's complete and symmetrical, but then you notice there is rather more of it at the right than at the left, and up at roof level you can see a section of what used be be a 3-bay pediment.  There used to be 4 statues above the cornicing, not just 2.  This 1864-5 facade was designed by Frederick Pepys Cockerell, son of Charles Robert.