Baynard House
Encyclopedia
Baynard House is a Brutalist office block in Queen Victoria Street
in the Blackfriars area of London
, occupied by BT Group
. It was built on the former site of Baynard's Castle
. Most of the site under Baynard House is a Scheduled Ancient Monument
.
Baynard House was formerly a telephone exchange
, and housed the first operational System X
telephone exchange, which went live in 1980. The Faraday Building
, one of the first major telephone exchanges in the UK, is nearby.
From 1982 to 1997, Baynard House housed the BT Museum
.
It is the site of an unusual cast aluminium public sculpture by Richard Kindersley, entitled The Seven Ages of Man. The sculpture, consiting of a column made up of sculptural heads resembling a totem pole
, was commissioned by Post Office Telecommunications
and unveiled in April 1980.
Queen Victoria Street, London
Queen Victoria Street, named after the British monarch from 1837 to 1901 is a long street in the City of London which runs east by north from its junction with New Bridge Street in Castle Baynard Ward, along a section that divides those of Queenhithe and Bread Street , then lastly through the...
in the Blackfriars area of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, occupied by BT Group
BT Group
BT Group plc is a global telecommunications services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is one of the largest telecommunications services companies in the world and has operations in more than 170 countries. Through its BT Global Services division it is a major supplier of...
. It was built on the former site of Baynard's Castle
Baynard's Castle
Baynard's Castle refers to buildings on two neighbouring sites in London, between where Blackfriars station and St Paul's Cathedral now stand. The first was a Norman fortification constructed by Ralph Baynard and demolished by King John in 1213. The second was a medieval palace built a short...
. Most of the site under Baynard House is a Scheduled Ancient Monument
Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a 'nationally important' archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorized change. The various pieces of legislation used for legally protecting heritage assets from damage and destruction are grouped under the term...
.
Baynard House was formerly a telephone exchange
Telephone exchange
In the field of telecommunications, a telephone exchange or telephone switch is a system of electronic components that connects telephone calls...
, and housed the first operational System X
System X (telephony)
System X was the name of the UK's first national digital telephone exchange system.-Development:System X was developed by the UK Post Office , GEC, Plessey, and Standard Telephones and Cables and first shown in public in 1979 at the Telecom 79 exhibition in Geneva Switzerland...
telephone exchange, which went live in 1980. The Faraday Building
Faraday building
The Faraday Building was the GPO's first telephone exchange in London.It started life as the Central telephone exchange at the Savings Bank building in Queen Victoria Street, opening for business on 1 March 1902 with just 200 subscribers...
, one of the first major telephone exchanges in the UK, is nearby.
From 1982 to 1997, Baynard House housed the BT Museum
BT Museum
The BT Museum was a telecommunications museum run by BT, that held artifacts and exhibits on the history of telecommunications in the United Kingdom...
.
It is the site of an unusual cast aluminium public sculpture by Richard Kindersley, entitled The Seven Ages of Man. The sculpture, consiting of a column made up of sculptural heads resembling a totem pole
Totem pole
Totem poles are monumental sculptures carved from large trees, mostly Western Red Cedar, by cultures of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America...
, was commissioned by Post Office Telecommunications
Post Office Telecommunications
Post Office Telecommunications was set up as a separate department of the UK Post Office, in October 1969. The Post Office Act of that year was passed to provide for greater efficiency in post and telephone services; rather than run a range of services, each organisation would be able to focus on...
and unveiled in April 1980.