THE LEGACY AS A CENTRE OF LONDON'S TRADE
1908
The Port of London Authority (PLA) headquarters is commissioned by Prime Minister David Lloyd George. Sir Edwin Cooper wins the design competition.
1915
Construction begins on the new PLA headquarters at Trinity Square. It would take seven years.
1922
New PLA headquarters building was officially opened by Prime Minister David Lloyd George.
1940
PLA building damaged by bombing during the Second World War – its original rotunda is destroyed.
1946
In October, a reception to mark the inaugural meeting of the General Assembly of the United Nations was held in the buildings Ballroom.
1959
On 12 May Her Majesty the Queen visited the Pla as the organisation celebrated it;’s 50th birthday.
1976-2008
The building is acquired and occupied by insurers Willis Faber Ltd.
2010
The building is acquired by Reignwood Group and a seven-year restoration begins.
2017
The building reopens as Four Seasons Hotel London at Tower Bridge
Ten Trinity Squares’ soul lies in the site’s 2000-year history
The stories of the traders, goldsmiths, princes and merchants who lived and worked close by are the foundation for Ten Trinity Square’s history. First came the Romans trading pottery, wine and glass. Then the Saxons, following the ancient trading routes of northern Europe. The Norman king, William the Conqueror, built the first edifice of the Tower of London after he invaded in 1066.
Later, the medieval merchants of London set up their ‘guilds’ to look after the interests of tradesmen and their families. Goldsmiths from northern Italy founded the City’s first banks.
The booming rise of imports
By the beginning of the 19th century, London’s docklands had grown into a magnificent source of wealth and power. Tea and pottery poured in from Asia, silks from Arabia and coffee and spices from the East Indies.
The PLA was created in 1908 bringing order to haphazard trading run by myriad companies, with hundreds of ships thronging the river and docks.
