Corner site with Beccles Street. Dated 1901 and built as the Passmore Edwards Sailors Palace. Niven and Wigglesworth: architects. A finely detailed neo Tudor Arts and Crafts design. The west wing has been rebuilt beyond the "gate house". Portland stone basement and ground floor, upper 3 floors of warm red brick with stone dressings and "pargeted" leaded panels. The "gate house" on the corner has octagonal turrets flanking a 3 storey oriel over the low arched entrance. Rich carving to the arch (with good Arts and Crafts lettering) and console tops and with a "figure head" keystone rising up to the oriel. The latter has mullioned transomed leaded lights. The 6 bay return way to Beccles street has segmental arcade of windows to ground floor, tripartite with leaded lights and thin panelled pilaster-mullions. The windows to upper floors are vertically linked as flat "oriels" with "pargeted" aprons, corbelled stone cornices over those on top floor; windows have 4 leaded, stone mullion-transom lights. The parapet finishing of this elevation has broad and short alternating shallow stone coped crenels. The basement area has simple Arts and Crafts iron railings.
The British and Foreign Sailor's Society was founded in 1833, following the work of George Charles Smith, who began preaching to merchant seamen on the Thames in 1814, promoting the religious, intellectual, and social elevation of British and foreign seamen, both in home and foreign ports.
Funded by Passmore Edwards the Foundation stone was laid in 1901 by the Duke of Fyfe, Vice Patron of the Society and Lord Lieutenant of London.
The building is predominately of brick, with bands of Portland stone and arched windows at ground-floor level. The main entrance and turreted gatehouse, described as a very free Tudor adaptation, is the dominant feature of the building with a magnificent figurehead of Britannia, carved in Portland Stone above the doorway, holding a ship in each hand, behind which a cherub blowing wind into its sails. Around the arch of the door, below the figurehead, are names of the continents: AMERICA AFRICA OCEANIA AUSTRALIA ASIA EUROPE, whilst above her head are the names of the 4 winds, EURUS - NOTUS - BOREAS - ZEPHYRUS.
Above Britannia is a lead plaque insrcibed with the "Passmore Edwards Sailors Palace" and "British & Foreign Sailors Association".
The ornamental plaques are continued around the building in keeping with the Arts & Craft Movement.