Watercolour of a Neo-gothic gem.
Sion Hall is a Grade II listed office building on Victoria Embankment, overlooking the Thames. It was completed in 1886 and was designed by Sir Arthur Blomfield in a perpendicular Gothic style.
 
The site has a much older history than the current building. It once formed part of the garden of Salisbury House, was later affected by the Great Fire of 1666, and then passed through several uses including a wharf, timber yard, and the City of London Gas Works before being sold to Sion College in 1884.
 
The building’s name comes from Sion College, which was founded by royal charter in 1630 as a college, guild of parochial clergy, and almshouse. So much more history to this building than first appears.
 
Sion Hall is a good example of late Victorian ecclesiastical-inspired commercial architecture in central London, and its listed status reflects both its architectural and historic interest.
 
Interesting facts...
The site also reflects the big reshaping of the Thames riverfront in the 19th century, when the Victoria Embankment created new valuable frontage where older riverside uses had stood. the current building once stood directly on the natural bank of the Thames!