Faraday building
Encyclopedia
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. The Faraday Building is erected on the former site of Doctors' Commons
, which had been the location of the Admiralty, Probate, and principal Ecclesiastical Court in England.
The Post Office’s first London
telephone exchange served nearly two-and-a-half square miles of the capital – notable subscribers included the Treasury, the War Office
and Fleet Street
Take-up of the telephone by the public was very quick so that by 1905 the exchange capacity was extended to 10,000 subscribers, and full capacity was exhausted just three years later.
To meet the growing demand from businesses in the City, a new common battery exchange was installed in 1906 with a capacity of 15,000 lines. This became 'City' exchange and officially opened in November 1907.
In common with other exchanges in London, Central was able to connect subscribers to the Electrophone exchange at Gerard Street. Electrophone allowed people to listen to performances at certain London theatres and music halls while sitting at home.
In 1933, Faraday became the telephone centre of the world with the opening of the international telephone exchange.
In 1935, an automatic exchange was opened with more than 6,000 working lines. The complex task of switching subscribers over to the new exchange involved 60 engineers and the opening was the culmination of more than 15 months’ hard work.
The construction of the Faraday Buildings obscured the riverside view of St Paul's Cathedral
and directly lead to the legislation protecting the views of St Paul's that has been used to thwart large buildings being erected around the various vantage points to see the cathedral. Rather interestingly though, the City of London School
and another telephone exchange, Baynard House
were built between the riverside and Faraday House but are restricted in height to just three levels above ground.
It started life as the Central 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...
at the Savings Bank building in Queen Victoria Street
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...
, opening for business on 1 March 1902 with just 200 subscribers. The Faraday Building is erected on the former site of Doctors' Commons
Doctors' Commons
Doctors' Commons, also called the College of Civilians, was a society of lawyers practising civil law in London. Like the Inns of Court of the common lawyers, the society had buildings with rooms where its members lived and worked, and a large library...
, which had been the location of the Admiralty, Probate, and principal Ecclesiastical Court in England.
The Post Office’s first 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...
telephone exchange served nearly two-and-a-half square miles of the capital – notable subscribers included the Treasury, the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
and Fleet Street
Fleet Street
Fleet Street is a street in central London, United Kingdom, named after the River Fleet, a stream that now flows underground. It was the home of the British press until the 1980s...
Take-up of the telephone by the public was very quick so that by 1905 the exchange capacity was extended to 10,000 subscribers, and full capacity was exhausted just three years later.
To meet the growing demand from businesses in the City, a new common battery exchange was installed in 1906 with a capacity of 15,000 lines. This became 'City' exchange and officially opened in November 1907.
In common with other exchanges in London, Central was able to connect subscribers to the Electrophone exchange at Gerard Street. Electrophone allowed people to listen to performances at certain London theatres and music halls while sitting at home.
In 1933, Faraday became the telephone centre of the world with the opening of the international telephone exchange.
In 1935, an automatic exchange was opened with more than 6,000 working lines. The complex task of switching subscribers over to the new exchange involved 60 engineers and the opening was the culmination of more than 15 months’ hard work.
The construction of the Faraday Buildings obscured the riverside view of St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
and directly lead to the legislation protecting the views of St Paul's that has been used to thwart large buildings being erected around the various vantage points to see the cathedral. Rather interestingly though, the City of London School
City of London School
The City of London School is a boys' independent day school on the banks of the River Thames in the City of London, England. It is the brother school of the City of London School for Girls and the co-educational City of London Freemen's School...
and another telephone exchange, Baynard House
Baynard House
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....
were built between the riverside and Faraday House but are restricted in height to just three levels above ground.