John Innes Elliott FRSA (13 November 1912 – 3 December 1989) was a British architect who, for twenty-seven years, was the surveyor and chief architect for the Metropolitan Police in London. He held the post from 1947 until 1974, the year of his retirement. He was the seventh such architect to hold the post since its inception in 1842. He took over the role from Gilbert Mackenzie Trench, who retired in 1945. Elliott's designs were carried out in the brutalist style.
Born in Liverpool, Elliott trained at the Liverpool School of Architecture between 1930–35, where he was tutored by Lionel Bailey Budden and Charles Herbert Reilly. Elliott gained employment as an architectural assistant to a travel company in Wallasey,[1] which he coincided with his studies. In the late 1930s he worked for the Office of Works in the branch for Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings. During the war he assisted in the design of post-war housing. In the 1940s he moved to London where he was appointed the surveyor to the Metropolitan Police in 1947, after the retirement of Gilbert Mackenzie Trench two years previously. Elliott was made a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1974 New Year Honours list and retired later that year, having completed his designs for the buildings within Hendon Police College, Colindale.[2]
| Name | Name | Photograph | Opened | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brixton Police Station | 1953 | Closed to the public.[3] | ||
| Acton Police Station | Open and operational | |||
| Albany Street Police Station | 1960 | Closed to the public in 2013. | ||
| Whetstone Police Station | 1960 | Closed to the public in 2013. Now a school. | ||
| Holborn Police Station | 1962 | Still in use. | ||
| Greenwich Police Station, 31 Royal Hill, Greenwich. | 1962 | Closed to the public in 2018. Remains operational. | ||
| Lavender Hill Police Station and Magistrates Court | 1963[4] | Operational | ||
| Holloway Police Station | 1965 | Closed and sold in 2017. | ||
| Croydon Police Station | 1967 | Operational | ||
| Brentford Police Station | 1967 | Closed to the public in 2013. | ||
| Woodford Police Station | 1968 | Closed to the public in 2013. | ||
| West Ham Police Station | 1969 | Closed to the public in 2019. | ||
| Ponders End Police Station | 1969 | Sold in 2012, demolished and developed into housing.[5] | ||
| Stratford Police Station, West Ham Lane | 1969 | |||
| Paddington Green Police Station | 1971 | |||
| Leman Street Police Station | 1971 | Closed to the public in 2017, although still operational. | ||
| Chiswick Police Station | 1972 | Closed to the public in 2017. | ||
| Hendon Police College | 1974 | Buildings on the site include the Peel buildings, tower blocks, and traffic garage and driving school. Demolished 2013-14. | ||