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An enraged client threw one of the lions down the front steps of White Lion Court the former London office. Luckily Mr Schiaffino paid to replace the smashed one. Collcutt designed the bronze electroliers chandeliers with electric lights as he liked to be involved in every aspect of the design of his buildings.

This attention to detail has ensured that even the smallest of fixtures and fittings such as door handles are worth a second look. The clock above the reception desk is original and was also designed by Collcutt, a horologist by hobby.

It is strangely different from the rest of the building in that it appears to follow the art deco style, which did not become fashionable until after World War One.

Elaborate Victorian hands reach across a minimalist face without bezel or numerals. The reception desk is original and made of mahogany, as well as the doors leading off this area.

Over the second flight of stairs is a round stained glass window with emblems of Great Britain: the English rose, the Scottish thistle, the Welsh leek and the Irish shamrock. This stunning window was designed by Gerald Moira who designed similar heraldic glass and painted murals for the Old Bailey in London.

At the top of the stairs is this bronze sculpture by Frank Lynn Jenkins. The head, shoulders and arms of this maiden are crafted in smooth white Carrara marble, and the sweep of her bronze wings is highlighted in mother of pearl. She holds a caduceus the staff carried by Hermes in Greek mythology, sometimes called the winged staff of Mercury and the entwined snakes have ruby glass eyes.

There is a matching marble seat on the first floor with bronze bench ends swept up as swirling barge prows. On three sides of the landing, there is a frieze made of electrotyped copper which makes it look like bronze with highlights of silver, ivory, mother of pearl and semi-precious stones.

It is also by F. Thomas Collcutt designed the marble floor and Gerald Moira decorated the quadripartite vault ceiling. The nymph became a goddess, holding in her right hand a caduceus symbolising a messenger of the gods.

The scale and quality of the sumptuous decoration celebrate its status. Cleverly, when I visited for the Heritage Open Day there was a costumed actor in this room being Thomas Collcutt so we could ask him questions about his design. Imagining it was and hearing first-hand accounts on his choice of materials and the craftsmen he worked with was a really nice addition to being there. The marble in this room is Belgium black marble, a striking green from Ireland and the Numidian marble for the columns is from Algeria.

And below is a decorative marquetry dado made of Cuban mahogany, Spanish mahogany actually from the West Indies and Honduran mahogany. The wooden panelled wainscotting is made of English oak from Dunmow in Essex, and English oak beams have been used in the ceiling and flooring. The four central ceiling panels depict the elements: water, fire, air and earth. The rectangular panels alongside these show the symbols of the zodiac. Then moving out to the side lunette panels cut into the barrel vault of the ceiling, between the coupled marble columns, there are celestial bodies, seasons and divisions of the day.

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