Old Admiralty Building (OAB)

History and Architecture of OAB:

The Old Admiralty Building (OAB) is a Grade II listed building comprising red brick and Portland stone with slate and lead roofs and features French Grand Siècle and English Baroque details. Inside the building there are beautiful mosaic floors and intricate metalwork balustrades.

The Admiralty was a former government department responsible for the British navy which was replaced by the Ministry of Defence in 1964.

The building forms a distinct part of the historic Admiralty complex of buildings that includes The Admiralty or Ripley Building (1723-6) fronted by the Admiralty Screen (1759-60), Admiralty House (1788), Admiralty Arch (1908-11) and the Citadel (1940-41).

OAB was designed as a purpose-built government office block comprising part of the Admiralty in the 1890s and built in three separate phases from 1894 until its completion in 1905. It replaced earlier townhouses that by the 1880s were too small to accommodate the growing number of civil servants.

The building was designed by the architectural firm Leeming and Leeming: brothers John and Joseph Leeming from Halifax.

The building was refurbished between 2014 and 2020 with the project led by BDP and the main contractor Wilmott Dixon Interiors. This work included major structural alterations, asbestos management, installation of new chillers craned into the courtyard, heritage conservation work and the removal and covering of around 400 oak doors.

OAB has been at the centre of history. For instance, it was in this building that British naval intelligence devised the plot known as "Operation Mincemeat" to mislead the Germans about the invasion of Sicily.

Former notable people who have worked in the building include Viscount Cunningham, Dame Victoire Ridsdale, Baron Sir John Arbuthnot Fisher, the 'James Bond' author Ian Fleming, and Winston Churchill.

About the Government Art Collection:

The Government Art Collection (GAC) is located in part of the Old Admiralty Building. The GAC is a national collection of historic, modern and contemporary British art that is displayed in government buildings in the UK and around the world, including 10 & 11 Downing Street and the residences of British Ambassadors and High Commissioners in over 125 countries.

The collection includes over 15,000 works from the 16th century to the present day: paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, photographs, textiles, and video works. The works are seen by thousands of visitors, promoting British art and contributing to cultural diplomacy.

The GAC is celebrating its 125th year. It traces its origins back to 5 December 1899 when Reginald Baliol Brett wrote to Sir Francis Mowatt about allocating funds for works of art.