General Post Office, London
Encyclopedia
The General Post Office, St. Martin’s Le Grand, (later known as GPO East) was the main post office for the City of London
between 1829 and 1912.
was built on the eastern side of St Martins-le-Grand in the City of London
between 1825 and 1829 to designs by Sir Robert Smirke
.
This was England
's first purpose built post office
. It was in the Grecian style with ionic
portico
es, and was 400 feet (121.9 m) long and 80 feet (24.4 m) deep. The building's main facade had a central hexastyle Greek Ionic portico with pediment, and two tetra style porticoes without pediments at each end. The main interior was the large letter-carriers room, with its elegant iron gallery and spiral staircase.
From 1868, the GPO experimented with the London Pneumatic Despatch Company
services which operated a pneumatic tube from Euston Railway station
for the delivery of mail, but the experiment was unsuccessful and terminated in 1874.
department, and the General Post Office North was constructed immediately to the north of the Telegraph building in the 1890s as the GPO continued to expand. To avoid confusion, the GPO was renamed GPO East.
When the Central London Railway
was constructed in 1900 its nearby station was named Post Office
. Sir Robert Smirke’s
building was closed in 1910 and demolished in 1912 and the current headquarters of BT, BT Centre
, a post World War II
building, is on the site of the old Telegraph Office.
The only fragment surviving is the Ionic cap from the right hand corner of the portico. This five-ton piece was presented to Walthamstow Urban Council and is in Vestry Road, Walthamstow Village.
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
between 1829 and 1912.
History
Originally known as the General Letter Office, the first headquarters for the General Post OfficeGeneral Post Office
General Post Office is the name of the British postal system from 1660 until 1969.General Post Office may also refer to:* General Post Office, Perth* General Post Office, Sydney* General Post Office, Melbourne* General Post Office, Brisbane...
was built on the eastern side of St Martins-le-Grand in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
between 1825 and 1829 to designs by Sir Robert Smirke
Robert Smirke (architect)
Sir Robert Smirke was an English architect, one of the leaders of Greek Revival architecture his best known building in that style is the British Museum, though he also designed using other architectural styles...
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
's first purpose built post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
. It was in the Grecian style with ionic
Ionic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
es, and was 400 feet (121.9 m) long and 80 feet (24.4 m) deep. The building's main facade had a central hexastyle Greek Ionic portico with pediment, and two tetra style porticoes without pediments at each end. The main interior was the large letter-carriers room, with its elegant iron gallery and spiral staircase.
From 1868, the GPO experimented with the London Pneumatic Despatch Company
London Pneumatic Despatch Company
The London Pneumatic Despatch Company was formed on 30 June 1859, to design, build and operate an underground railway system for the carrying of mail, parcels and light freight between locations in London...
services which operated a pneumatic tube from Euston Railway station
Euston railway station
Euston railway station, also known as London Euston, is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden. It is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London . It is one of 18 railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line...
for the delivery of mail, but the experiment was unsuccessful and terminated in 1874.
Expansion
In the 1870s a new building was added on the western side of the street to house the TelegraphTelegraphy
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages via some form of signalling technology. Telegraphy requires messages to be converted to a code which is known to both sender and receiver...
department, and the General Post Office North was constructed immediately to the north of the Telegraph building in the 1890s as the GPO continued to expand. To avoid confusion, the GPO was renamed GPO East.
When the Central London Railway
Central Line
The Central line is a London Underground line, coloured red on the tube map. It is a deep-level "tube" line, running east-west across London, and, at , has the greatest total length of track of any line on the Underground. Of the 49 stations served, 20 are below ground...
was constructed in 1900 its nearby station was named Post Office
St. Paul's tube station
St. Paul's tube station is a London Underground station in the City of London on the Central Line, between Bank and Chancery Lane stations, and is in Travelcard Zone 1....
. Sir Robert Smirke’s
Robert Smirke (architect)
Sir Robert Smirke was an English architect, one of the leaders of Greek Revival architecture his best known building in that style is the British Museum, though he also designed using other architectural styles...
building was closed in 1910 and demolished in 1912 and the current headquarters of BT, BT Centre
BT Centre
BT Centre is the global headquarters and registered office of BT Group, located in a 10-storey office building at 81 Newgate Street in the City of London, opposite St. Paul's tube station. It should not be confused with the much more prominent BT Tower...
, a post World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
building, is on the site of the old Telegraph Office.
The only fragment surviving is the Ionic cap from the right hand corner of the portico. This five-ton piece was presented to Walthamstow Urban Council and is in Vestry Road, Walthamstow Village.