Tobacco Factory, Wild Street, Drury-lane, London

Immediately to the rear of 150-151 Drury Lane are buildings which were formerly occupied by Lambert & Butler's tobacco factory. Lambert & Butler was founded in Clerkenwell in 1834, and moved to Drury Lane two years later; it came together with other companies at the turn of the twentieth century to become the Imperial Tobacco Company Ltd, but the name Lambert & Butler contained to be used. The address of the company's premises was 141 - 148 Drury Lane, reflecting the fact that it was entered from the Drury Lane side, though it was also known as 8-22 Wild Street. According to the Buildings of England volume for Westminster, the Drury Lane buildings are of 1896, designed by C. F. Hayward and B. Woollard. The rear of the premises, facing Wild Street, were built in 1907-15 by Spalding & Spalding and Godfrey C. Lambert. In 1936, the factory was extended to the north-west, taking in 149 Drury Lane, which formerly housed a newsagent's. Lambert & Butler's remained in the premises until about 1961; the main part of the buildings, facing Drury Lane, subsequently became the base of Nathan's, the country's leading theatrical costumiers, and are now in use by the London School of Economics.

The cipher of Lambert and Butler remains above the gate on the Wild Street elevation, as does the ghost of the Lambert and Butler signage

Reference        Historic England the urban and suburban public house Dr Emily Cole page 402
Reference        Simon Bradley and Nikolaus Pevsner, London 6: Westminster, 2003, page 346
Archive           Westminster City Archives: WDP2/ 1 506/4 Plans of all floors of the building fronting Wild Street, dated 26 May 1916