From Adam:

Yesterday I acquired a large amount of panelling and other timbers.

Ranging from burr walnut, London plane to mahogany, the haul includes panelling, cornicing and glazed and panelled doors. Everything had been languishing in dry storage for 50 years on a titled estate and we believe it came from the Lloyd’s building, London.

The Lloyd’s building of 1928, historically known as the Cooper Building, was designed by Sir Edwin Cooper as its first purpose built premises. It was designed for 1920s insurance trading utilising a Neo classical style of Palladian arched windows and soaring columns; to reinforce institutional permanence and stability.

In 1979 the building was completely demolished to make way for the global headquarters for Lloyd’s of London, the “inside-out” Richard Rogers’ building, completed in 1986.

Adam says,
“It’s a great opportunity to salvage in quantity. These types of demolition don’t occur so much anymore — it happened in the 1970s and 80s when there was less attention to conservation and heritage matters.”

The panelling and timber elements Retrouvius has available are remnants to a past era: the rich timbers in stark contrast to the externalised lift shafts and exposed piping and ducts of the current Rogers’ building.

As time passes Edwardian buildings are increasingly being redeveloped. Pressure on already dense urban space creates this shortened lifecycle of buildings, where there are particular demands for floor space, flexible usage and a modern working environment.

On reuse potential:

Panelling can be a challenge to repurpose but it has been reused to make feature walls in commercial spaces and restaurants. You may have spotted it in Hawksmoor restaurants.

The panelling Retrouvius has saved is a century old and better quality than modern equivalents. Of clean Edwardian style our salvage haul offers lovely timbers and a high impact book matched design. We have them available in quantity.