No. 426: Portland Place, W1
BBC Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London, W1. Photo © Roger Dean 2011
Broadcasting House is the headquarters and registered office of the BBC, (British Broadcasting Corporation).
Architect George Val Myer designed the building in collaboration with the BBC’s civil engineer, M. T. Tudsbery. It was officially opened on May 14, 1932 and is now Grade II listed. At the front of the building are statues of Prospero and Ariel (from Shakespeare’s The Tempest) by Eric Gill. Their choice was fitting since Prospero was a magician, and Ariel, a spirit of the air, in which radio waves travel. Further reliefs by Gill adorn the sides of the building including the one photographed above in which Ariel is seen hearing Celestial Music. R.D.
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