150 years of Holden: Remembering the architect who designed Senate House

Holden’s modernist architecture continues to shape how hundreds of staff navigate and work across these buildings and the rest of the University's estate.  

Holden designed many iconic buildings across England, including 55 Broadway in London, which was the tallest office block in the City at its completion in 1929. His work on it earned him the London Architecture Medal from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

Holden also had a considerable influence on the design of the London Underground and contributed to no fewer than 48 Underground stations during the 1920s.

Sir William Beveridge, Vice-Chancellor of the University, appointed Holden in 1931 to develop the Bloomsbury estate after a competitive selection process. Holden made the shortlist of architects after giving the University’s former Principal, Sir Edwin Deller, a tour of the 55 Broadway building.

Holden described the appointment wryly in the 9 May 1938 issue of The RIBA Journal: “In the year 1931 the University Court and Senate made their important decision committing me to a life sentence with hard labour."

Holden saw his plans for the University of London estate as the culmination of his life’s work and the tower of Senate House as his magnum opus.

The original plans for the University estate were ambitious. They featured a single structure running from Montague Place to Torrington Street, with a central corridor and separate wings for each federation member. There were plans for two towers at each end of the structure, Senate House and a smaller northern tower. Holden would later revise these plans into a more balanced design with separate buildings.

Holden had a distinct architectural style that was modernist but also bold, functional, and simple. Writing in an essay titled “The Kind of Architecture We Want in Britain” (1957), Holden said, "…I don’t seek for a style, either ancient or modern. I want an architecture which is through and through a good building. A building planned for a specific purpose, constructed in the method and use of materials, old or new, most appropriate to the purpose the building has to serve."

Construction on the project began in 1932, but funding issues and WWII meant only Senate House and the Library would be completed by 1937. At 209 feet tall, with 19 floors, Senate House was the tallest secular building in London.

Holden’s brief required Senate House to harmonise with the surrounding buildings, including the British Museum and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. However, Senate House still stands out in the Bloomsbury area with its prominent tower, Portland Stone façade, and stylish art-deco interiors.

In 2006, the building underwent a £55 million refurbishment to upgrade it with the latest equipment and facilities.

The Warburg Institute building was also designed in Holden’s style by an architect in his practice, Adams Holden & Pearson. You can read more about that building’s history in a blog post here.

Professor Bill Sherman, Director of the Warburg Institute, curated an exhibition on Holden at Senate House, Charles Holden’s Master Plan, from January to March 2024.

“Charles Holden arguably did more to shape the built environment of London’s residents, workers, and visitors than any other architect in history," he said. "His work on the London Underground, which included some 48 stations and the network’s headquarters at 55 Broadway, is widely known and much loved, but he saw his work on the master plan for the University of London — which occupied him from 1931 to 1958 and transformed Bloomsbury into the ‘Knowledge Quarter’ it is today—as his magnum opus.

“It is thanks to Holden that we have a coherent and visible campus for our large but dispersed federation of colleges. He not only designed and delivered what Vice-Chancellor William Beveridge described as ‘an academic island in swirling tides of traffic,’ but created a campus of interconnected institutions joining the British Museum and UCL.”

Holden’s modernist design for Senate House has served as the backdrop for a number of famous films and television programmes. Batman Begins, The Dark Knight Rises and James Bond’s No Time To Die all feature scenes filmed at Senate House. You can see a full list of screen credits for Senate House here.

The University holds a number of detailed architectural models, archival documents, photo albums, and other mixed media objects related to Holden’s work on Senate House. Many of these materials were on display in last year's exhibition.

The next time you walk through Senate House, take a moment to notice the legacy of Charles Holden's vision.

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