Queen Anne's Mansions

Queen Anne's Mansions once dominated this corner of Petty France as Britain's loftiest residential building. Built in stages starting in eighteen seventy-three by Henry Alers Hankey, the structure reached fourteen storeys and sparked intense public outcry due to its unprecedented height. Critics, including Queen Victoria, lamented that the massive brick pile obstructed views of the Houses of Parliament from Buckingham Palace. The building became a lightning rod for urban planning debates, as the Metropolitan Fire Service warned that their hoses could not reach the upper levels in an emergency.