London’s Alleys: Buckingham Arcade, WC2

This covered passage runs through a block of buildings on Strand, giving access to the grander buildings behind.It passes through the ground floor of Villiers House, an office block constructed in 1957-59 in a modernist style by Trehearne & Norman, Preston & Partners. The modern building replaced a row of smaller shops and houses, and used to have a sloping road running through the middle — which was retained as the pedestrianised Buckingham Arcade.
The old road used to be on a ste