King Edwards Buildings (Post Office)
KING EDWARDS BUILDINGS (POST OFFICE), KING EDWARD STREET EC1
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II*
- List Entry Number:
- 1286242
- Date first listed:
- 06-Aug-1974
- List Entry Name:
- King Edwards Buildings (Post Office)
- Statutory Address:
- KING EDWARDS BUILDINGS (POST OFFICE), KING EDWARD STREET EC1
Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2005-08-23
- Reference:
- IOE01/14704/35
- Rights:
- © Miss Patricia Philpott. Source: Historic England Archive
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II*
- List Entry Number:
- 1286242
- Date first listed:
- 06-Aug-1974
- List Entry Name:
- King Edwards Buildings (Post Office)
- Statutory Address 1:
- KING EDWARDS BUILDINGS (POST OFFICE), KING EDWARD STREET EC1
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- KING EDWARDS BUILDINGS (POST OFFICE), KING EDWARD STREET EC1
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Greater London Authority
- District:
- City and County of the City of London (London Borough)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- TQ 32009 81425
Details
KING EDWARD STREET, EC1 TQ3181 SE and TQ3281 SW (West Side) 8/550 and 9/550 King Edward Buildings (Post Office) II* 6.8.74
Post Office. 1907-11 by Sir Henry Tanner of Office of Works, principal assistant (Sir) Richard Allison. Free classical building with east front and north and south returns of Portland stone on a granite plinth. Front of four main storeys with attic mainly recessed behind balustrade and cornices at first and third floors. Elevation is nine bays in width, with flanking open arches north and south bearing royal arms. The ground storey throughout is arched and rusticated, with coupled Doric columns on high bases in the five-bay centre. In the end bays are entrances to the post office through straight-headed doors with Gibbs surrounds within the arches; above these, at third-floor level, are round windows with further blocked surrounds. The second and seventh bays project slightly, have rusticated quoins, and are carried up into pedimented features at fourth-floor level. The rear elevation is roughcast and mainly non-load-bearing, with round-headed windows on the ground storey. The whole of the structure of the building is in reinforced concrete on the Hennebique system as Licensed to L. G. Mouchel and Partners, and is contemporary in date and structure with the sorting office behind Nos 106-l13 Newgate Street (q.v.), to which it is attached by a high-level bridge. Interior of main post office consists of long office three bays deep and seven bays wide interrupted by two rows of six reinforced concrete piers, clad in veined marbles and supporting concrete beams cased in plaster. The ceiling is divided by the beams into panels and richly ornamented, with swags and corbels at the heads of the columns in lieu of capitals. The windows on the long sides are lugged and have prominent keystones. The building is important in the development of reinforced concrete architecture in Britain. See also: Nos 106-113 Newgate Street with which this building forms a group.
Listing NGR: TQ3199481421
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 199555
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 07-Jun-2026 at 12:51:10.
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