Gazette veterans remember the ‘Before Times’ – those halcyon days when we were housed in the attic at 114 Chancery Lane and the editor even had his own office. By ‘before’, we do not mean before the pandemic. Rather, the conflagration of February 2020 which gutted most of the adjunct to the Law Society’s Hall at 113 and left the building at risk of collapse.
Six years on, Obiter is pleased to report that the restoration of this complicated Grade 11* listed building is finally complete. ‘Every improvement and repair had to be executed with real precision and respect for the building’s heritage,’ a Law Society insider says. ‘Along the way, we took the opportunity to make the space more accessible and welcoming, and we’ve been able to retain and enhance many of its historic features. In fact, when we stripped the interior back, we uncovered brickwork and arches none of us knew were there, and opened up long-obscured roof lanterns to flood the premises with natural daylight.’
Sadly, Obiter and co. won’t be moving back in. The Society has put 114 on the market for let, which is at least good news for the accountants. Some 18,815 sq ft of high-quality, Grade A office space next door to the Royal Courts of Justice should swell our employer’s coffers nicely.
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