United Kingdom House
building on Oxford Street, London
United Kingdom House at 164–182 Oxford Street in the City of Westminster, London, is a grade II listed former Waring and Gillow's department store completed in 1906 to the design of Frank Atkinson with advice from Richard Norman Shaw. It is now used as retail and offices premises.
History
In 1895, S. J. Waring established a branch on Oxford Street at the current site of United Kingdom House. Following the expiration of the lease on the Gillow's location near Marble Arch, where the company had been trading since c. 1765, the two companies merged.
Work began on the current building in 1901 to the design of Frank Atknison and would first open in 1906. An extension on Great Titchfield Street would be completed in 1933. The upper levels of the building would be converted into offices by R. Seifert and Partners between 1977 and 1978.
The public source identifies “United Kingdom House” as building on Oxford Street, London. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around United, Kingdom and House.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “United Kingdom House”, the useful work is to connect “building on Oxford Street, London” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 13, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q26319049. Authority coordinates are 51.516, -0.139. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1906, 1895, 1765 and 1901.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “United Kingdom House”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow United Kingdom House primary sources, United Kingdom House archive and United research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “United Kingdom House”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “United Kingdom House” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.