Royal Insurance Building

The building was constructed between 1896 and 1903 as the head office of the Royal Insurance Company (since 1996 part of the RSA Insurance Group). The design was the result of a competition won by James F. Doyle in 1895. The assessor for the competition was Norman Shaw, who was retained as an advisory architect for the project, but it is uncertain what part he played in it. The building is constructed around a steel frame and is the earliest example of this type of construction in the United Kingdom. It ceased to be used by the late 1980s, and its condition deteriorated so much that it was placed on the Buildings at Risk Register of English Heritage. In 2013 its freehold was bought by…