The headquarters offices of both departments were located in Marsham Towers—three 20-floor concrete towers (North, Centre and South) joined together by 'podium' floors to level 3.

The towers won an architectural award, and boasted express lifts, marble entrances and escalators to the third floor—very modern government offices for the early 1970s.

The towers were considered by some to be a blot on London's landscape, and were subsequently nicknamed "the three ugly sisters" and "the toast rack".

They are named after Mary Seacole, Robert Peel and Elizabeth Fry, figures who had significant impacts in areas within the Home Office's responsibility.

Part of the old Marsham Towers site was also turned over to blocks of residential flats, shops and restaurants behind the new Home Office building.

Giles Worsley, architecture critic of The Daily Telegraph, called the building "a triumph of urban repair".

This will contribute to the Home Office's programme to save £1.97 billion so that we can target more money at front line services like policing and border control.