Conservation & Heritage Issue 50 Winter 2025/Spring 2026 - Flipbook - Page 80
Restoring the Crown: ASWS
revives historic dome lanterns
and bronze shopfronts at
214 Oxford Street, London
The transformation of 214 Oxford Street – formerly the iconic Topshop store – into a
flagship destination for IKEA has brought new life to one of London’s most prominent retail
landmarks. At the heart of this ambitious refurbishment was the meticulous conservation
work carried out by Associated Steel Window Services (ASWS), a leading specialist in
heritage fenestration and architectural metalwork.
Reviving the lantern domes
The Grade II listed building, occupying the North-East
quadrant of Oxford Circus, presented a complex set of
challenges. Originally constructed between 1913 and 1928
to designs by Sir Harry Tanner, Principal Surveyor of the
London Office of Works, the property had suffered extensive
wartime damage and decades of weathering. ASWS was
initially commissioned by Avison Young to conduct a
comprehensive condition survey of the steel and timber
windows, as well as the unique bronze shopfronts that face
onto the circus.
Among the most technically demanding aspects of the
project was the restoration of three shallow domed lanterns
located on the building’s fourth level. These steel-framed
structures, each rising 700 mm within a 5 x 5 metre square
footprint, had long been obscured by accumulated grime and
water ingress, rendering them nearly opaque.
Working from a bespoke ‘birdcage’ scaffold, ASWS carefully
removed and cleaned all 148 panes of glass from each
dome. The team then undertook a painstaking process of
rewelding fractured joints and replacing severely corroded
steel sections. The restored lanterns were reglazed with safety
glass featuring authentic rebates and edge detailing, and the
entire steel framework was treated with ASWS’ signature
five-coat system – comprising primer, two undercoats, and
Following the survey, ASWS was awarded the contract to
restore and replicate the building’s fenestration across its
classical French-inspired façades. This included the repair
of 342 steel windows, 14 large hardwood windows set into
the mansard roof, and the conservation of wrought iron
balustrades that articulate the historic frontage.
Below, pictured is 214 Oxford Street, London, where Associated Steel Window
Services (ASWS) refurbished all windows; it is now the new Ikea store
I
Conservation & Heritage Journal
78
I
