A Glimpse into Broad Street’s Architectural Past (Circa 1954)
The photograph, taken around 1954 by the British architect Gillian Hopwood, captures the historic CMS House on Broad Street, Lagos — one of the city’s most iconic colonial-era buildings. The image, part of the 2015 Photo Exhibition by Kehinde Thompson for the Nigerian Nostalgia Project, preserves the memory of a structure that once embodied the spirit of early missionary and commercial Lagos.
Origins and Historical Context
The CMS House, sometimes referred to locally as Liberty’s, was originally associated with the Church Missionary Society (CMS) — a British Anglican organization that played a crucial role in introducing Western education and Christianity to Nigeria during the 19th century. Broad Street, located in the heart of Lagos Island, was then the commercial and administrative hub of colonial Lagos, lined with banks, trading firms, and missionary establishments.
While the precise date of construction is uncertain, architectural evidence suggests that CMS House was built between the late 19th century and early 1920s, during the period when Lagos was transitioning from a colonial port to an urban centre of education, trade, and religion.
Architectural Significance
The CMS House stood out for its Gothic-inspired architecture, which was rare in West Africa at the time. The building featured: A classic gable roof with four garret windows, offering both ventilation and light. A wooden balcony overlooking Broad Street, reminiscent of Victorian and Edwardian commercial buildings.
Arched doorways and timber-frame façades that reflected a blend of European ecclesiastical design and tropical adaptation, including wide eaves for shade and cross-ventilation. These elements not only gave the structure an imposing presence but also symbolised the missionary influence in shaping Lagos’s early urban identity.
CMS House and Its Role in Early Lagos
During its heyday, CMS House served as both a missionary office and a community hub. It was a focal point for Christian educational and welfare activities, including publishing and translation work by missionaries of the Church Missionary Society.
The building also reflected the intersection of religion, education, and commerce; the key pillars of Lagos society in the early 20th century. As nearby institutions such as CMS Grammar School (founded in 1859) and St. George’s Church expanded, Broad Street became known as the intellectual and moral centre of Lagos.
Decline and Disappearance
By the 1970s and 1980s, Lagos underwent significant urban redevelopment. The once-picturesque CMS House began to fall into disuse, its wooden structures deteriorating under tropical weather conditions and urban neglect.
By the 1990s, it was either abandoned, destroyed by fire, or demolished to make way for modern commercial buildings. Today, the site where the CMS House once stood has been absorbed into the dense commercial sprawl of central Lagos, leaving behind only photographic and archival records.
Cultural and Historical Legacy
Though long gone, CMS House remains a powerful symbol of Lagos’s transformation from a missionary settlement into a vibrant metropolis. The building’s image, preserved through the lens of Gillian Hopwood and the documentation of the Nigerian Nostalgia Project, serves as a reminder of the city’s layered history — one that intertwines faith, commerce, and colonial architecture.
The legacy of the Church Missionary Society continues to live on in institutions such as CMS Grammar School and St. Luke’s Hospital, which uphold the same educational and social values that shaped early Lagos.
-Image Credit and Archival Source
-Photographer: Gillian Hopwood
-Source: 2015 Photo Exhibition by Kehinde Thompson / Nigerian Nostalgia Project
-Location: Broad Street, Lagos, Nigeria
-Date: Circa 1954
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