Royal Mint Court

rdf:langString Royal Mint Court

rdf:langString Royal Mint Court

rdf:langString Royal Mint Court

rdf:langString Johnson Smirke Building

rdf:langString Royal Mint Court is a building complex with offices and 100 shared-ownership homes in East Smithfield, in London's East End, close to the City of London financial district. The site was the home of the Royal Mint from 1809 until 1967 and was earlier the site of a Cistercian abbey, built in 1348 and known in its time as Eastminster. Eastminster's foundations are relatively well preserved and visible in the partially open basement of the site. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the 5.5 acre (2 hectare) property was used as a victualling yard for the Royal Navy, then as a tobacco warehouse, before becoming a mint in 1809. After the mint relocated, the site was redeveloped in 1987 by the Crown Estate Commissioners with a new office and residential block added to the complex alongside the two remaining Grade II listed mint buildings. The 100 residential homes were Leasehold properties and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was the Superior Landlord. In 2017, Royal Mint Court was again set to be redeveloped with plans for a new office, shopping and leisure complex. Planning permission was granted in July 2016. However, in May 2018 the site was sold to the People's Republic of China to be used for their new London embassy. As the Freeholder, the PRC became the Superior Landlord over the 100 leasehold homes. Sir David Chipperfield was appointed as the architect for development of the site with some critics questioning if this was his most controversial job.