Drapers Gardens is down and out

I noticed during a lunchtime stroll that the old Nat West building, Drapers Gardens, is no more. The building, which before the building of the famed NatWest Tower, was the bank’s flagship building, is the tallest building ever to be demolished in London. It is another sign that the old NatWest empire, which comprised the Threadneedle Street complex, Old Broad Street, the tower and Drapers, has all but gone. Drapers Gardens was one of the first high-rise buildings in the City of London, and when I worked for the then-prestigious National Westminster Bank, it was a terrific restaurant. You could look over the City and enjoy “pork chop, chips, beans, tomatoes and mushrooms” for around £ 1.00! For some reason I always knew that Richard Seifert designed it, as he did the tower, and I do believe I went to Drapers for my first interview with the bank in 1975! It’s a long time ago, and it did not take long to realise that Nat West was not the place for a long term career, although some former colleagues are still ploughing their way to retirement! A shame about Drapers, though.