81 Newgate Street

Edit links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
BT Centre
)

81 Newgate Street
Map
Former namesBT Centre
Alternative namesPanorama St Paul’s
General information
LocationLondon, England, UK
Coordinates51°30′56″N 0°05′52″W / 51.5156°N 0.0978°W / 51.5156; -0.0978
Opened1985
Renovated2022–present
Known forBeing the global headquarters and registered office of former tenant, BT Group.

81 Newgate Street (alternatively referred to as Panorama St Paul’s) is a 10-storey

Newgate Street in the City of London, opposite St Paul's tube station.[1]
It opened in its current state in June 1984.

Prior to the departure of the BT Group in December 2021, it was best known as the BT Centre, having been the global headquarters and registered office of the group since its opening in its current state in 1984. It had been home to BT and its predecessors, including the General Post Office, for more than a century.[2]

HSBC, currently based at 8 Canada Square, will move into the building in 2025, following the completion of redevelopment work being undertaken by Kohn Pedersen Fox.[3][4]

History

The building was designed for

British Telecom by the Property Services Agency in a 'modern and forward-looking' style (though its Portland stone and granite facings recalled the Central Telegraph Office, which had previously stood on the site).[5] The main entrance, on Newgate Street, was built on the alignment of Bath Street, which had been closed since 1934 and was completely covered by the new building. In 1997-99 the interior of the building was substantially updated, 'to make better use of space, conform to modern approaches to working, and exploit the latest telecommunications technology for more effective and fulfilling working'.[5]

Sale and rebuilding

In 2019, BT sold the building and revealed plans to relocate their offices to 1 Braham Street near

retrofit and expansion' of the property: the building's structural frame is being retained but it is otherwise being entirely rebuilt to create flexible office space, retail units and a roof garden with a restaurant. 'Its massing will change considerably, with a portion of the front removed to reduce its impact on key views and new bays added stepping down from north to south creating accessible terraces'.[8]

History of the site

Commemorative plaque on the building.

A plaque on the outside of the building marks this as the location from which

archaeological investigations by the Museum of London, planning permission was granted for the new building in 1979.[5]

References

  1. ^ "Contact BT". Archived from the original on 26 January 2009. Retrieved 23 January 2009.
  2. ^ "BT agrees £210m sale of historic London site". Financial Times. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  3. ^ Dorrell, Chris (26 June 2023). "HSBC moving out of Canary Wharf HQ to site by St Paul's - reports". CityAM. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  4. ^ "HSBC's move from Canary Wharf to St Paul's is a big win for the City and hybrid working". Sky News. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Central Telegraph Office and BT Centre – a timeline" (PDF). www.bt.com. BT Archives. May 2008. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  6. ^ Warrington, James (22 July 2019). "BT reveals new City headquarters as it plans to move by end of 2021". www.cityam.com. CityAM. Limited. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  7. ^ "BT opens new London HQ". BT.com. 26 November 2021.
  8. ^ Hopkirk, Elizabeth (24 June 2020). "KPF rings the changes for BT's old 1980s HQ". Building Design. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  9. ^ "Flickr Photo". 9 June 2006.
  10. ^ "BT Life".
  11. ^ "Postal Heritage".

External links

Media related to BT Centre at Wikimedia Commons


Stub icon

This article about a London building or structure is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=81_Newgate_Street&oldid=1209751215"