APR25: My favourite Art Deco buildings & other gems. Part II

#GetOutMore this April!

This event is one of loads of events taking place over the same weekend! Check out all the events over the weekend of 4-6 April 2025: OutdoorLads.events/APR25. Great for new and regular members!

Waitlist: This event is now fully booked, but if you'd like to attend, please add yourself to the waitlist. Places often become available closer to the date, and you are likely to get one. 

Following Part I, we take another trip around central London exploring my favourite Art Deco buildings and other architectural delights along the way. I'm by no means an expert, but I do love Art Deco and different styles of architecture and I will endeavour to provide some background about each building from my own research. We'll also pass a number of historic monuments and other notable places of interest. 

Waiting List

Please note, I am limiting the group size to 20, as central London will be busy and these types of walks are easier to manage with a smaller group. I will also be organising Part III of this walk at a later date. 

Walking route and itinerary 

This is a linear walk starting at King's Cross Station and ending near Oxford Circus underground station. 

This route map can be viewed in OS Maps, but is for guidance only and is subject to change. The exact route may change on the day due to construction work. 

After a short introduction to Art Deco our first building is directly next to us - the mighty Gothic red brick, St Pancras Station and former Midland Grand Hotel (1868). We'll have a look at its intricate exterior and pop inside to briefly admire its single span roof, the largest enclosed space in the world in 1868. Stepping outside, we'll cross Euston Road and head towards Bloomsbury. Our next architectural gem is the The Brunswick Centre (1972), a brutalist housing and shopping complex. We'll briefly stop for refreshments, before continuing to Russell Square Underground Station (1906) admiring its stunning Leslie Green burgundy facace. Our first Art Deco building the magnificent former Daimler Car Hire Garage (1931) and in my opinion one of the finest looking art deco buildings in London.

Next we walk through Bloomsbury Square towards our second art deco building - the mighty Senate House (1937) , now home to the University of London. We'll pass through its art deco foyer and, then head to a 60s icon that dominates the skyline - the one and only BT Tower (1964) . From here we'll cross back over Euston Road, and walk up the Hampstead Road. Our third art deco masterpiece is the very handsome Greater London House or the former Carreras Cigarette Factory (1928), which has been beautifully restored. From here we head towards Regents Park where we'll stop for an hour for lunch. 
Next we head out of the park and cross the Euston Road once again and stop at our fourth art deco building the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) (1934) building on Portland Place. Its a short walk to the next art deco building, the famous BBC Broadcasting House (1932) . After we navigate across the busy Oxford Circus, well head to our fifth and final art deco building, the former National Radiator building (1929) or Palladium House now. 

Afterwards

Optional drinks in Soho for anyone who wishes to join me. 

New Members

New members are very welcome. Please message me if you have any questions or concerns before the day. 

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All Images were taken by Neil Prior.