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Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs
Mosaic
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Facing St James’s Park with quiet authority, the Government Offices Great George Street was conceived as a monumental home for the machinery of state. Designed by architect John Brydon following a national competition, the vast complex rose in stages: the east wing completed in 1908, the west in 1917. Its scale, craftsmanship, and civic ambition reflected an era when public buildings were meant to project permanence.
A major refurbishment completed in 2002 ensured its continued use, yet the building’s historic significance had long been recognised. Its Grade II* listing marked it as a structure of exceptional interest and outstanding importance, a place where architecture and governance intersected.
Client
Celltarga
Dates
January 2018
—
January 2020
Location
London
Grade listing
Grade II*
Floors That Carried a Century of Footsteps
Inside, the grandeur continued underfoot. Expanses of decorative mosaic and terrazzo flooring stretched through corridors, lobbies, and circulation spaces, each pattern carefully composed to complement the building’s formal interiors. For more than a century, these floors had borne the daily movement of civil servants, visitors, and officials, polished by use, but also worn by it.
Over time, cracks, loosened sections, and surface deterioration began to threaten both appearance and stability.
Repairing the Fabric Beneath the Surface
DBR Conservation was commissioned to undertake repairs to these extensive historic floors. The work required patience and precision, as each section formed part of a continuous decorative scheme that could not simply be replaced wholesale.
Damaged areas were carefully stabilised and repaired, ensuring that the original materials were retained wherever possible. Matching techniques and materials were employed to maintain visual continuity, allowing the floors to remain coherent across large expanses.
Preserving a Civic Interior
Because the building remained in active use, the repairs had to be carried out with sensitivity to daily operations. Access, sequencing, and protection measures were carefully managed to allow the work to proceed while the functions of government continued around it.
When complete, the mosaic and terrazzo surfaces retained their calm authority, patterns clear, craftsmanship legible, and stability restored. Though little seemed changed, the floors were secured for the future. DBR’s careful conservation ensured these historic surfaces could continue carrying the building’s story forward.
