IWM London (Lambeth Road) The estate at Lambeth Road, known as ‘IWM London’ is what most people associate with IWM and was redeveloped in the 1960s to serve as the organisational corporate headquarters. The ‘Southwark building’ (as it was once known), designed by James Lewis was the former Bethlem Royal Hospital that was operational from October 1814. The hospital consisted of a range of buildings 580 feet long with a basement and three storeys, parallel to Lambeth Road, with a central entrance under a portico. The site was owned by Lord Rothermere, who had originally intended to demolish the building entirely in order to provide a public park in what was a severely overcrowded area of London. Eventually the central portion of the hospital building was retained while its two extensive wings were removed and the resulting space named Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park. The ‘distinguishing dome’ was added by Sydney Smirke in 1846 and housed the hospital’s chapel. The building remained substantially unchanged until vacated by the hospital in 1930. The museum was reopened by the Duke of York (later King George VI) in its new accommodation on 7 July 1936.
In 1966 the Lambeth Road building was extended to provide collections storage and other facilities, the first major expansion since the Museum had moved to the site. The development also included a purpose-built cinema. In 1967 the museum acquired a pair of 15-inch naval guns; one had been mounted on the Royal Navy’s HMS Ramillies and the other on both HMS Resolution and HMS Roberts. In September 1972 the building received Grade II listed building status. In 1983 the museum approached engineering firm Arup to plan a phased programme of works that would expand the building’s exhibition space, provide appropriate environmental controls to protect collections, and improve facilities for visitors. The works were completed in several phases during 1986 to 2004 providing a centrepiece atrium large exhibits gallery, improved storage and visitor facilities. In January 2013, the first phase of a five-phase regeneration project (‘Transforming IWM London’ (TIWML)) commenced, with phase 2 completed in October 2021. Phase 3 has now commenced to develop an art, film and photography gallery by 2024. The above history is testament to the challenges of managing and maintaining the estate, with complexity and nuances throughout the buildings and associated infrastructure.
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