Catalogue description Vine Street: police station

West End Central Police Station was built in the years preceding World War II and was opened in 1940 to house the Headquarters staff of 'C' division and the two operational sub-divisions previously working from Vine Street Station (1833-1940) and Marlborough Street station (1900-1940). From the opening of the new station until 1959 the policing of the West End was conducted under a single administrative unit, but by that time the volume of police work had increased to the extent that it became necessary to again operate under the two sub-divisional basis known as C.D.1 and C.D.2.

Because of the urgent need for additional accommodation in 1966 it was decided to reinstate the former Vine Street police station and thereby resolve the difficulties under which two Sub-Divisional stations, in addition to 'C' Divisional Headquarters, operated from the one station at West End Central. With Vine Street reinstated, one Sub-Division could operate from there and the other Sub-Division from West End Central. On 9 August 1971 the new Vine Street police station at 10 Piccadilly Place, London became operationally effective. The areas of these two new sub-divisions are shown on the accompanying plan

The then Commissioner, Sir John Waldron, had previously expressed a wish that the name"Vine Street" be retained for the reinstated station, It should be explained that shortly after Vine Street police station closed in July 1940, the street name was changed to Piccadilly Place, and Vine Street was no longer shown in London Street Directories. The Greater London Council had no objection to this proposal and following this the Westminster City Council agreed that the portion of Piccadilly Place which lies between Swallow Street and Man-in-Moon Passage be renamed Vine Street. As from 1 March 1972, the address of the new police station became 10 Vine Street, London.