‘A building designed by architects for architects‘
I recently visited the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) at 66 Portland Place. My trip to view material relating to Salford, didn’t disappoint.
RIBA’s Library and Collections describe themselves as “one of the world’s largest and most wide-ranging architectural collections, with over four million items.” Having prepared in advance and contacted the curatorial team, a selection of materials had been set aside for consultation on arrival – a reminder of how valuable preparation can be when working with major archives.
It had been some time since my last visit to London, particularly the Marylebone area where RIBA has been based since 1934. After meeting my trusted travelling companion at King’s Cross, we walked towards Portland Place, passing a series of familiar landmarks: the Francis Crick Institute, The British Library, Tavistock Square, and the University of London, before heading through Fitzrovia towards our destination. Portland Place itself remains strikingly wide for a central London street; a legacy of John Nash’s early nineteenth-century planning, conceived as a grand processional route linking Carlton House with Regent’s Park.
The RIBA building is hard to miss. Designed by George Grey Wornum and opened in 1934, it occupies a prominent corner site close to Broadcasting House. Established in 1834 and granted a Royal Charter three years later, RIBA today represents more than 40,000 members and plays a central role in supporting architectural practice, influencing policy, and engaging the public through exhibitions and events. The headquarters at 66 Portland Place resulted from a design competition attracting more than 280 entries, with Wornum’s scheme selected for its combination of modernist sensibility and institutional gravitas. The building received Grade II* listed status in 1970, recognising its architectural significance.
Wornum himself is perhaps less widely known than some of his contemporaries. After serving in the Artist Rifles during the First World War and recovering from serious injury, he returned to practice and later contributed to projects such as the remodelling of Parliament Square. Anecdotally, he is also credited with designing distinctive London lampposts, those which are also the subject of myths linking their motifs to Coco Chanel and the Duke of Westminster, though these associations remain firmly within the realm of urban legend.
From its inception, the RIBA Library was intended as a comprehensive resource: “a Library of Works of every kind connected with architecture” – supporting both educational and professional purposes. Today, its collections include journals, drawings, photographs, manuscripts, models, and ephemera documenting architectural practice across centuries.
The visit proved highly productive. While not all material related directly to the University of Salford, I gathered a substantial body of information connected to higher education, architectural planning, and the sociocultural context surrounding the Robbins Report (1963). As noted by the University’s Archivist, archives offer repositories of unique and often unseen sources, inviting researchers to explore unexpected narratives and deepen understanding through discovery.
