A Notable New Pilecin the City of London Within living memory practically the whole of Cornhill, as indeed is the ease in the City in general, has been transformed. in appearance, says the "City Press" of March '29, The old school will remember the thoroughfares as one of shops and office buildings in practically equal numbers. To-day-all but a few of the former may be looked for in vain, and practically every one of the latter has in like way disappeared. In the place of the old-world buildings have sprung up huge locks in consonance with modern day ideas of what constitutes the deal in hi arrange me building the one erected in Cornhill corner of Finch Lane the Union Insurance Society of Canton, Id. The elevation is of Portland stone over a grey granite base, The crest of the Society on two" bronze plaque pricked out in gold, main entrance, and a copper finial of a ship crowns the ridge of the roof. "The building is a steel-frame structure. The entrance hall is in th a dome in gold mosaic.
ground floor the principal apartment is the underwriters' room, which adjoins the main entrance, and is paneled in" mahon gony.' The Manager's and Committee room, over the -main -gntrance, is, also panelled in-.matiogony.' On the, second floor is a luncheon room for the Committee and the Heads of the staff. The floors above are available for letting, The tenants! entrance is at the east tend of the site, and gives access to 'a marble lined hall, with a public itt connecting all the floors. In. the basement a public safe deposit isin course of construction. The building, which is notable addition to the architect ture of the banking and insurance quarter of the City, has been ereeted by Bovis, La, according to. the designs, accepted in competition, of Messrs. Gunton and Gunton, Finsbury House, Blomfield Street, The Society was founded.in Canton in 1885 by a group of British merchants under the guidance of the then famous firm of Dont and Ca., and transferred to Hongkong in 1841 when that port was ceded to the British Crown. From that time onward, the ' office has been a consistently prosperous concern, Branches have boon established "not only in Ching but in Australia, India, London Japan, South Africa, the United States, and, in fact, every quarter of the' globe. 'The Society acquired controlling interest in the. Bri-h (late China) 'Traders! Insurance Company, Lal, in 1906; in the China Fire Insurance Company, Ld. in 1916; and in the North China Insurance Company, Ida, in 1919. 'The growth within' the last 50 years may be judged from the fact that the income. grew from £121,088 in 1868 to 23,015,501 in 1921, The net assets now' exceed $6,000,000, and altogether—the claims' paid have aggregated £20,- 000,00.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.