Unbuilt London
The London that might have been
Familiar as we are with London’s monuments, landmarks and historic buildings it’s easy to forget the many proposed, abandoned or rejected designs for a London that might have been.
This gallery illustrates a small selection of drawings and photographs of models of the many unrealised designs for London held by the RIBA Collections. These range from competition designs of iconic landmarks such as the Nelson monument to grand schemes that would have drastically altered the landscape of London such as Joseph Emberton’s high-rise development surrounding St Paul’s Cathedral.
Of particular note are some of the rather staid competition designs for RIBA’s headquarters at 66 Portland Place and the various entries for the controversial competition for the National Gallery Extension.