The SIS building at Vauxhall Cross, London, seen from Vauxhall Bridge

The SIS building, seen from Millbank

The opposite side of the building, seen from Vauxhall Cross

The SIS Building, also commonly known as the MI6 Building, is the headquarters of the British Secret Intelligence Service, otherwise known as "MI6". It is located at 85, Vauxhall Cross in the south western part of central London, along the Albert Embankment on the bank of the River Thames beside Vauxhall Bridge. The Secret Intelligence Service building at Vauxhall Cross, London, seen from Vauxhall Bridge. ... The Secret Intelligence Service building at Vauxhall Cross, London, seen from Vauxhall Bridge. ... This article is about the town of Vauxhall, for Vauxhall the vehicle manufacturer, see Vauxhall Motors. ... The Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster, which contains Big Ben London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... Vauxhall Bridge with MI6 building in background Vauxhall Bridge is a steel arched bridge for road and foot traffic, crossing the River Thames in a north-west south-east orientation, between Lambeth Bridge and Grosvenor Bridge, in central London. ... Secret Intelligence Service building, seen from Millbank - Vauxhall Cross - Vauxhall - London - England Photo taken by Tagishsimon on the 24th April 2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Secret Intelligence Service building, seen from Millbank - Vauxhall Cross - Vauxhall - London - England Photo taken by Tagishsimon on the 24th April 2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Millbank is an area of London, England, that is east of Pimlico and south of Westminster. ... MI6 HQ at Vauxhall taken by C Ford 6th March 04. ... MI6 HQ at Vauxhall taken by C Ford 6th March 04. ... This article is about the town of Vauxhall, for Vauxhall the vehicle manufacturer, see Vauxhall Motors. ... The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), more commonly known as MI6 (originally Military Intelligence Section 6), or the Secret Service or simply Six, is the United Kingdom external security agency. ... This article is about the town of Vauxhall, for Vauxhall the vehicle manufacturer, see Vauxhall Motors. ... The Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster, which contains Big Ben London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... The Albert Embankment is a stretch of the river bank on the south side of the River Thames in central London. ... Length 346 km Elevation of the source 110 m Average discharge entering Oxford: 17. ... Vauxhall Bridge with MI6 building in background Vauxhall Bridge is a steel arched bridge for road and foot traffic, crossing the River Thames in a north-west south-east orientation, between Lambeth Bridge and Grosvenor Bridge, in central London. ...

The building was designed by Terry Farrell, the developer Regalian Properties plc approached the Government in 1987 to see if they had any interest in the proposed building. At the same time their sister service MI5 was seeking alternative accommodation and co-location of the two was studied. In the end this proposal was abandoned, due to the lack of buildings of adequate size (existing or proposed) and the security considerations of providing a single target for attacks. In July 1988 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher approved the purchase of the new building for the SIS. At this stage the government proposed to pay for the building outright in order to maintain secrecy over the intended use of the site — at this time the existence of MI6 was not officially acknowledged. Categories: People stubs ... Current MI5 headquarters in Thames House, London MI5, officially called the Security Service, is one of the British secret service agencies. ... The Right Honourable Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC, FRS (born October 13, 1925), is a British stateswoman and was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990, also Leader of the Opposition from 1975, and the only woman to date to hold those positions. ...

The building's design was reviewed to incorporate the necessary protection for Britain's foreign intelligence gathering agency. This includes overall increased security, extensive computer suites, technical areas, bomb blast protection, emergency back-up systems and protection against electronic eavesdropping. While the details and cost of construction have been released, about ten years after the original National Audit Office report was written, some of the service's special requirements remain classified. The NAO report Thames House and Vauxhall Cross has certain details omitted, describing in detail the cost and problems of certain modifications but not what these are. Rob Humprey's London: The Rough Guide suggests one of these omitted modifications is a tunnel beneath the Thames to Whitehall. Categories: United Kingdom-related stubs ...

It has been commented that it is ironic for such a secretive organisation to occupy one of the most high-profile and distinctive buildings in London. In doing so they were following the example of the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States which has for long occupied a huge sprawling building, standing out visibly in a park-like surrounding in Langley, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.. The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an American intelligence agency, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ... Langley is a community in the census-designated place of McLean in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. ... Upper part of the Potomac River The Potomac River flows into Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States (USA). ... Washington, D.C., short for the District of Columbia (locals know the city as the District, DC,—or, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United States of America. ...

The NAO put the final cost at £135.05m for site purchase and the basic building or £152.6m including the service’s special requirements.

On the evening of September 20, 2000 the building was attacked by a Russian-built Mark 22 anti-tank missile. Striking the eighth floor, the impact caused only superficial damage [1]. The Anti-Terrorist branch of the Metropolitan Police attributed responsibility to Irish Republicans, specifically the Real IRA. September 20 is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years). ... This article is about the year 2000. ... An Anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) is a missile the primary purpose of which is to hit and destroy tanks. ... Metropolitan Police redirects here. ... The Real Irish Republican Army, otherwise known as the Real IRA, is a terrorist organisation founded before the signing of the 1998 Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement by former members of the Provisional IRA who opposed the Provisional IRAs 1997 cease-fire and acquiescence in the accord in the aftermath...

The building has appeared in fiction, featured in the 1999 James Bond film, The World Is Not Enough. In the pre-credits sequence Bond chases a suspect from the building up the Thames following the explosion of cash which was recovered and brought into the building by him. It is later revealed that the money was dipped in urea, in effect a fertiliser bomb. MI6 allowed exterior filming of the building for the first time in tribute to the long-time popularity of the secret agent. The same year a steampunk pastiche of the building was featured in the comic book League of Extraordinary Gentlemen as the headquarters of British Military Intelligence in 1898. James Bond is best known from the EON Productions film series. ... The World Is Not Enough is the nineteenth official James Bond movie made by EON Productions and the third to star Pierce Brosnan as Ian Flemings secret agent, James Bond. ... Urea is an organic compound of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen, with the formula CON2H4 or (NH2)2CO and the structure shown right: Urea is also known as carbamide, especially in the recommended International Non-proprietary Names (rINN) in use in Europe. ... Fertilizers or fertilisers are compounds given to plants with the intention of promoting growth; they are usually applied either via the soil, for uptake by plant roots, or by foliar spraying, for uptake through leaves. ... Steampunk is a subgenre of speculative fiction, usually set in an anachronistic Victorian or quasi-Victorian alternate history setting. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... Promotional still for The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a comic book series written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin ONeill, published under the Americas Best Comics imprint of DC Comics. ...

See also

• Thames House - Headquarters of MI5

Thames House is an office development in London on the bank of the River Thames adjacent to Lambeth Bridge. ... Current MI5 headquarters in Thames House, London MI5, officially called the Security Service, is one of the British secret service agencies. ...

External links

• Report on SIS' Vauxhall Cross building from the National Audit Office - PDF