Baynard House is a

brutalist Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by minimalist constructions that showcase the b ...

office block in Queen Victoria Street in Blackfriars in the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

, occupied by

BT Group BT Group plc (formerly British Telecom) is a British Multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered in London, England. It has operations in around 180 countries and is the largest provider of fixed-li ...

. It was built on the site of

Baynard's Castle Baynard's Castle refers to buildings on two neighbouring sites in the City of London, between where Blackfriars station and St. Paul's Cathedral now stand. The first was a Norman fortification constructed by Ralph Baynard ( 1086), 1st feuda ...

. Most of the land under it is a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

. From 1982 to 1997 it housed the BT Museum.

Features and uses

The building was designed by

William Holford William Graham Holford, Baron Holford, (22 March 1907 – 17 October 1975) was a British architect and town planner. Biography Holford was educated at Diocesan College, Cape Town and returned to Johannesburg. From 1925–30 he studied archi ...

incorporating a separation of pedestrians from streets, with a first-floor adjoining walkway along Queen Victoria Street that connects to

Blackfriars station Blackfriars (), also known as London Blackfriars, is a central London railway station and connected London Underground station in the City of London. It provides Thameslink services: local (from North to South London), and regional (Bedford ...

. The entrance foyer to Baynard House remains off this first floor level. A plaque in the building foyer reads: Legislation protecting the sightline of

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

from bridges across the Thames and from places such as

Putney Putney () is an affluent district in southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ...

and

Richmond Park Richmond Park, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, is the largest of Royal Parks of London, London's Royal Parks and is of national and international importance for wildlife conservation. It was created by Charles I of England, Cha ...

restricted the overall height of the building to three full levels above ground. Baynard House was for a few years a

telephone exchange A telephone exchange, telephone switch, or central office is a central component of a telecommunications system in the public switched telephone network (PSTN) or in large enterprises. It facilitates the establishment of communication circuits ...

, and housed the first operational System X telephone exchange, which went live in 1980. From 1982 to 1997 it 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, consisting of a column made up of sculptural heads resembling a

totem pole Totem poles () are monumental carvings found in western Canada and the northwestern United States. They are a type of Northwest Coast art, consisting of poles, posts or pillars, carved with symbols or figures. They are usually made from large t ...

, was commissioned by

Post Office Telecommunications BT Group plc (formerly British Telecom) is a British multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered in London, England. It has operations in around 180 countries and is the largest provider of fixed-line, broadband and mobile ...

and unveiled in April 1980. it had the largest

solar panel A solar panel is a device that converts sunlight into electricity by using photovoltaic (PV) cells. PV cells are made of materials that produce excited electrons when exposed to light. These electrons flow through a circuit and produce direct ...

area in the City of London and the second largest of a corporate building in the UK. The

Faraday Building The Faraday Building is in the southwest of the City of London close to St Paul's Cathedral. The land was first acquired by the General Post Office in the 1870s, for the Post Office Savings Bank. In 1902 it was converted to a GPO telephone e ...

, one of the first major telephone exchanges in the UK, is across the road.

In film

Actor

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood icon, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Tom Cruise, various accolades, includ ...

broke his ankle whilst performing a stunt, jumping from the roof in 2017, shooting scenes for the film '' Mission: Impossible – Fallout''.

References

External links

Baynard House – Brutalist Beauty

The Seven Ages of Man

Gallery

File:Baynard House 03.jpg, Waterfront side of Baynard House File:Blackfriars Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 1572060.jpg, Waterfront side of Baynard House and

Blackfriars Railway bridge Blackfriars Railway Bridge is a railway bridge crossing the River Thames in London, between Blackfriars Bridge and the Millennium Bridge. First bridge There have been two structures with the name. The first bridge was opened in 1864 and was ...

. Viewed from the Millennium Bridge. File:City of London School - DSC08162.JPG, Baynard House and

(green roof) on the left,

City of London School The City of London School, also known as CLS and City, is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school for Single-sex education, boys in the City of London, England, on the banks of the River Thames next to the Millennium Bridge, ...

centre on the north bank of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

, London. Shows height of construction restriction. File:Photo showing detail of Baynard House taken stairs near Blackfriars Station.jpg, Baynard House taken stairs near

Blackfriars Station Blackfriars (), also known as London Blackfriars, is a central London railway station and connected London Underground station in the City of London. It provides Thameslink services: local (from North to South London), and regional (Bedford ...

File:Photo showing detail of Baynard House and tents used for shelter.jpg, Detail of Baynard House and tents used for shelter File:Photo showing detail of Baynard House.jpg, Detail of Baynard House File:Photo showing detail of Baynard House and spikes used to stop climbing.jpg, Detail of Baynard House and spikes used to stop climbing File:Baynard House sign next to entrance.jpg, Baynard House sign next to entrance File:Photo showing close up of The Seven Ages of Man sculpture by Richard Kindersley at Baynard House.jpg, The Seven Ages of Man sculpture by Richard Kindersley at Baynard House File:Photo showing close up of faces and window - The Seven Ages of Man sculpture by Richard Kindersley at Baynard House.jpg, Close up of The Seven Ages of Man sculpture by Richard Kindersley at Baynard House File:Photo showing close up of text on The Seven Ages of Man sculpture by Richard Kindersley at Baynard House.jpg, Close up of text on The Seven Ages of Man sculpture by Richard Kindersley at Baynard House File:Photo showing detail of Baynard House vent.jpg, Detail of Baynard House File:Photo showing Baynard House and sculpture 'The Seven Ages of Man' by Richard Kindersley.jpg, Baynard House and sculpture 'The Seven Ages of Man' by Richard Kindersley File:Photo showing Baynard House sign.jpg, Baynard House sign {{coord, 51, 30.7151, N, 0, 6.0734, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Buildings and structures in the City of London BT Group buildings and structures Telephone exchange buildings Telecommunications buildings in the United Kingdom Scheduled monuments in London Brutalist architecture in London Blackfriars, London