The Gibson Hall is a

Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

at 13

Bishopsgate Bishopsgate was one of the eastern gates in London's former defensive wall. The gate's name is traditionally attributed to Earconwald, who was Bishop of London in the 7th century. It was first built in Roman times and marked the beginning o ...

in the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

. Previously known as National Westminster Hall, the building is named after its architect, John Gibson. Built of

Portland stone Portland stone is a limestone geological formation (formally named the Portland Stone Formation) dating to the Tithonian age of the Late Jurassic that is quarried on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. The quarries are cut in beds of whi ...

in the classical style with engaged

Corinthian column The Corinthian order (, ''Korinthiakós rythmós''; ) is the last developed and most ornate of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order, which was the earliest, ...

s, the building was commissioned as a new head office by the directors of the National Provincial Bank of England and completed in 1865. Opening in 1866, there were only 4 arched bays and just seven figures stood atop. The additional two-bay extension and rooftop figures, Shipbuilding and Mining, were added in 1878, relocating the figure for London so that it remained at the corner of the then newly extended building. The exterior elevation features eight panels of allegorical scenes in high relief representing the achievements of mankind: the Arts, Commerce, Science, Manufactures, Agriculture, Navigation, Shipbuilding and Mining. Standing figures along the roof line represent various important cities in which the bank did business, including Manchester, Birmingham, Dover, Newcastle and London. The building was listed in 1950 for its special architectural and historic interest. In 1967, the National Provincial Bank moved its head office to Drapers Gardens, 12 Throgmorton Avenue. The banking hall served its original purpose until 1982, when it was restored and converted into an assembly room for

National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank, trading as NatWest, is a major retail and commercial bank in the United Kingdom based in London, England. It was established in 1968 by the merger of National Provincial Bank and Westminster Bank. In 2000, it becam ...

.Gibson Hall (former head office of the National Provincial Bank of England), 15 Bishopsgate, City of London, seen from the south with the NatWest Tower behind
Royal Institute of British Architects (retrieved 11 April 2023) From its disposal in 1998, it has operated as an events hosting venue available for hire to the general public. It is currently closed and no longer listed as available as a venue for hire.

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* {{coord, 51.5147, -0.0836, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Grade I listed buildings in the City of London Commercial buildings completed in 1865 Office buildings completed in 1865 Grade I listed banks NatWest Group