Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Building

A Victorian Palace for the Nation

When Sir George Gilbert Scott designed the Foreign Office building on King Charles Street, he envisioned it as "a kind of national palace or drawing room for the nation"—a space intended to impress foreign visitors with its grandeur and sophistication. Construction began in 1861 and was completed in 1868, creating a new block of government offices that would serve as the heart of British diplomacy for over 150 years. Scott's original vision called for a Gothic Revival design, but Prime Minister Lord Palmerston insisted on a classical approach. Rather than compromise, Scott traveled to Paris to study neoclassical architecture, ultimately producing what many consider his finest work—a building that seamlessly blends classical restraint on its facades with lavish Victorian decoration within.

Four Departments Under One Roof

The building was conceived as a shared home for four separate government departments: the Foreign Office, the India Office, the Colonial Office, and the Home Office. Scott handled the overall classical design and the Foreign Office interiors, while Matthew Digby Wyatt, the India Office's Surveyor, designed and built the India Office's magnificent interior spaces. The Colonial and Home Offices, by contrast, were treated as purely functional working buildings with minimal decoration. This architectural hierarchy reflected the diplomatic importance of the Foreign and India Offices, which required spaces grand enough to receive international dignitaries and conduct matters of state. The second stage of construction, completed in 1875 and facing Whitehall, added further accommodation for the Colonial and Home Offices.

Spaces of Historic Significance

The building's most celebrated interior is the Durbar Court, designed by Matthew Digby Wyatt at the centre of the former India Office. Named after the Persian term for a royal court or state assembly, the Durbar Court earned its title when coronation celebrations for King Edward VII were held there in 1902. Equally significant is the India Office Council Chamber, where the Secretary of State for India and his council met from 1868 until 1947 to discuss policy affecting the Indian subcontinent. The chamber's doors, chimneypiece, and furnishings were transferred from the old East India Company offices on Leadenhall Street, creating a tangible link between colonial administrations. The Grand Staircase, perhaps the most breathtaking space in the building, features a rich red carpet, sculptures and busts of former foreign secretaries, and a barrel-vaulted ceiling crowned by a large dome depicting the zodiac with female figures representing nations with which Britain maintained diplomatic relations.

Preservation Against the Odds

By the 1960s, decades of overcrowding—particularly after the Second World War when much of the fine Victorian interior was covered over with false ceilings and makeshift plasterboard partitions—had degraded the building's condition. A grandiose redevelopment plan for Whitehall proposed demolishing Scott's offices entirely. Public outcry and growing recognition of the building's historical value saved it from destruction. The building was designated Grade I listed in 1970, protecting it under UK law. Rather than demolition, a comprehensive 17-year restoration programme costing £100 million was undertaken, completed in 1997. The Locarno Suite, which had been divided into cramped offices and storage spaces, was fully restored to its former glory for use in international conferences and ministerial functions.

Modern Transformation and Public Access

In 2020, the Foreign Office merged with the Department for International Development to form the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The building continues to serve as the main FCDO headquarters, with ongoing refurbishment ensuring all employees work within this historic structure. A significant recent transformation involved the King Charles Street Quadrangle, redesigned in 2023 by landscape architects Gustafson Porter + Bowman. Once relegated to a car park, the quad now features evergreen hedges, gardens celebrating British flora and Commonwealth plants, and accessible outdoor spaces for staff wellbeing and ceremonial events. The building remains largely closed to the public but opens during Open House Weekend, offering rare opportunities to experience its ornate chambers, historic meeting rooms, and architectural splendour firsthand.