St. George's House & Antec House, Kingsway North

St George's House, HCS House, South Bank Building and Central Admin. Block and Antec House. The group of buildings has considerable architectural interest for the quality of their design, and as the centrepiece for the planned landscape. The vast size has an impressive visual impact, and despite being largely of 2 storeys, they appear low due to their streamlined design. This incorporates bands of metal windows with mullions interspersed so as to ensure that the strong horizontal emphasis is bolstered. The curvaceous shape adds considerable interest, and is distinctive both from an adjacent perspective and in terms of the plan form. The stretcher-bonded brown brick dominates the spectrum of the buildings, but this is relieved by a vertical stretcher course of black brick to the base, and painted concrete cills and lintels. Despite the functionalist nature of the design, some concessions are made to ornament, with stone facing to panels surrounding the doors, and raised circular mouldings to the principal door panels themselves. A bronze spread eagle adorns the centre of the building beneath a large clock, Their historic interest lies in the fact that they are part of an important early industrial estate. MATERIALS Brown brick, black brick, concrete, aluminium(?), bronze DATES 1937 LOCAL LIST