Baynard House, London
{{Short description|Office block in London}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2014}}
File:Baynard House Seven Ages of Man.jpg
Baynard House is a brutalist office block in Queen Victoria Street in Blackfriars in the City of London, occupied by BT Group. It was built on the site of Baynard's Castle.{{cite web|url=http://www.londononline.co.uk/articles/BT_Museum/|title=BT Museum|publisher=London Online|access-date=2010-11-24|archive-date=13 October 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101013171612/http://www.londononline.co.uk/articles/BT_Museum/|url-status=live}} Most of the land under it is a scheduled monument.{{NHLE|num=1001965|desc=|accessdate=30 July 2019}}{{cite web |title=The Puddle Dock Development 7-9 |first=Sophie |last=Jackson |publisher=Museum of London Archaeology Service |date=February 2009 |url=http://www.planning.cityoflondon.gov.uk:90/WAM/doc/Accompanying%20report-146198.pdf?extension=.pdf&id=146198&location=livevolume1&wmName=&pageCount=1 |format=PDF |ref=p42 — Figure 16 shows the extent }}{{Dead link|date=November 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} From 1982 to 1997 it housed the BT Museum.
Features and uses
The building was designed by William Holford incorporating a separation of pedestrians from streets, with a first-floor adjoining walkway along Queen Victoria Street that connects to Blackfriars station.[http://esotericlondon.com/tag/william-holford/ Baynard House] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307210759/http://esotericlondon.com/tag/william-holford/ |date=7 March 2016 }}, Esoteric London, February, 2012 The entrance foyer to Baynard House remains off this first floor level. A plaque in the building foyer reads:
{{quote|"BAYNARD HOUSE handed over on 5th July 1979 to PETER BENTON Esq., Managing Director Telecommunications, Architects: Holford / PSA; Construction: John Laing"Plaque in the entrance foyer of Baynard House, Observed May 2012}}
Legislation protecting the sightline of St Paul's Cathedral from bridges across the Thames and from places such as Putney and Richmond Park restricted the overall height of the building to three full levels above ground.[http://ornamentalpassions.blogspot.co.uk/2009/02/faraday-house-queen-victoria-street-ec4.html Faraday House] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304135110/http://ornamentalpassions.blogspot.co.uk/2009/02/faraday-house-queen-victoria-street-ec4.html |date=4 March 2016 }}, Ornamental Passions, February 2009
Baynard House was for a few years a telephone exchange, and housed the first operational System X telephone exchange, which went live in 1980.{{cite web |url=http://www.connected-earth.com/Journeys/Digitaltechnologies/Digitaltelephony/Digitalswitching/index.htm |title=Digital switching |publisher=Connected Earth |access-date=2010-11-24 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429185817/http://www.connected-earth.com/Journeys/Digitaltechnologies/Digitaltelephony/Digitalswitching/index.htm |archive-date=29 April 2011 |df=dmy }}{{cite web|url=http://www.btplc.com/Thegroup/BTsHistory/1969to1980/1980.htm|title=BT Archives: Events in Telecommunications History: 1980|publisher=BT Archives|access-date=2010-11-24|archive-date=24 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101224093437/http://www.btplc.com/Thegroup/BTsHistory/1969to1980/1980.htm|url-status=live}} 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.{{cite web |url=http://pmsa.cch.kcl.ac.uk/cl/CLCOL252.htm |title=Public Monument and Sculpture Association National Recording Project: The Seven Ages of Man (sculpture), Baynard House |access-date=2010-11-24 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110802200727/http://pmsa.cch.kcl.ac.uk/CL/CLCOL252.htm |archive-date=2 August 2011 |df=dmy }}{{cite web|url=http://www.kindersleystudio.co.uk/seven-ages-of-man-queen-victoria/|title=The Seven Ages of Man, Queen Victoria Street|access-date=2010-11-24|archive-date=2 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302041218/http://www.kindersleystudio.co.uk/seven-ages-of-man-queen-victoria/|url-status=live}} The sculpture, consisting of a column made up of sculptural heads resembling a totem pole, was commissioned by Post Office Telecommunications and unveiled in April 1980.
{{As of|2012}} it had the largest solar panel area in the City of London and the second largest of a corporate building in the UK.[http://www.btplc.com/today/art120733.html BT to build UK's second largest solar-powered roof] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140324062731/http://www.btplc.com/today/art120733.html |date=24 March 2014 }} BT Today, 11 April 2011
The Faraday Building, one of the first major telephone exchanges in the UK, is across the road.
In film
Actor Tom Cruise broke his ankle whilst performing a stunt, jumping from the roof in 2017, shooting scenes for the film Mission: Impossible – Fallout.{{cite web|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/film/2017-08-17/mission-impossible-film-shoot-delayed-after-tom-cruise-breaks-ankle/|title=Mission: Impossible film shoot delayed after Tom Cruise breaks ankle|publisher=Radio Times|access-date=2018-02-09|archive-date=10 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180138/http://www.radiotimes.com/news/film/2017-08-17/mission-impossible-film-shoot-delayed-after-tom-cruise-breaks-ankle/|url-status=live}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Baynard House}}
- [https://www.flickr.com/photos/another-partial-success/2961689023/ Baynard House – Brutalist Beauty]
- [https://www.flickr.com/photos/pixelhut/2661024696/ 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. Viewed from the Millennium Bridge.
File:City of London School - DSC08162.JPG|Baynard House and Faraday Building (green roof) on the left, City of London School centre on the north bank of the River Thames, 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
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
{{BT Group}}
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Category:Buildings and structures in the City of London
Category:BT Group buildings and structures
Category:Telephone exchange buildings
Category:Telecommunications buildings in the United Kingdom
Category:Scheduled monuments in London