Castle Baynard

Castle Baynard is one of the 25 wards of the City of London, the historic and financial centre of London, England.

Not to be confused with Baynard's Castle.

Ward of Castle Baynard
Location within the City
Ward of Castle Baynard is located in Greater London
Ward of Castle Baynard
Ward of Castle Baynard
Location within Greater London
OS grid referenceTQ315811
Sui generis
Administrative areaGreater London
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLondon
Postcode districtEC4
Dialling code020
PoliceCity of London
FireLondon
AmbulanceLondon
UK Parliament
London Assembly

Features

The ward covers an irregularly shaped area, sometimes likened to a tuning fork,[1] bounded on the east by the wards of Queenhithe and Bread Street; the ward of Farringdon Without to the north and west; the ward of Farringdon Within to the north; and by the River Thames to the south.

Major landmarks within the ward include Blackfriars Bridge (the full span of which falls within the City and this ward), the naval establishment HMS President, and St Paul's Cathedral. In addition, the area includes the churches of St Bride's, which the Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman described as "magnificent, even by the exalted standards of Sir Christopher Wren",[2] and St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe. The ward formerly also included the Church of St Mary Magdalen Old Fish Street, which burned down in 1886 and was not rebuilt,[3] and its own charitable foundation, Castle Baynard Ward School.[4] Today the Mermaid Theatre, on the site of Curriers' Alley[5] and Puddle Dock, lies within the ward's catchment area. The north-bank entrance of Blackfriars station, the only London station to span the Thames, also lies within Castle Baynard.

Boundary changes in 2003 expanded the ward considerably into the traditional area of the two Farringdon wards, though a small amount of territory was lost to Queenhithe ward. Today, Castle Baynard is busy and an exceptionally concentrated area of commercial and tourist activity,[6] but still retains its own distinct identity.[7]

History

Castle Baynard derives its name from Baynard's Castle,[8] which existed there from the Norman Conquest until it burnt down during the Great Fire of London in 1666.[9] It was anciently spelled as one word — Castlebaynard — but this is regarded today as incorrect.

Baynards Castle, from which the ward took its name.

Politics

Castle Baynard is one of 25 wards in the City of London, each electing an Alderman to the Court of Aldermen and Commoners (the City equivalent of a Councillor) to the Court of Common Council of the City of London Corporation. Only electors who are Freemen of the City of London are eligible to stand.

Ian Luder is the current Alderman representing the ward, and Martha Grekos, Henrika Priest, Mary Durcan, Alpa Raja, Graham Packham, Catherine McGuinness, John Griffiths and Glen Witney are the Common Councilmen.[10]

In October 2018, the Labour Party won its sixth seat on the Common Council in Castle Baynard when the local resident Natasha Lloyd-Owen (now Cripplegate) topped the polls for Labour in an unexpected by-election victory.[11] Labour had previously won a record total of five seats on the Common Council in March 2017 winning two seats in Portsoken, two seats in Cripplegate ward and one seat in Aldersgate ward.[12]

References
  1. "Castle Baynard ward boundaries". Archived from the original on 4 July 2011. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
  2. Sovereign City of London Churches, Betjeman,J. : Pitkin, Andover, 1967 (rpnt 1992) ISBN 0-85372-565-9
  3. Vanished churches of the City of London Huelin, G.: London, Guildhall Library Publishing 1996 ISBN 0-900422-42-4
  4. Guildhall library records
  5. Worshipful Company of Curriers
  6. "City Police Overview". Archived from the original on 13 October 2007. Retrieved 21 September 2007.
  7. Ward newsletter
  8. Book 2, Ch. 14-Castle Baynard Ward, in A New History of London: Including Westminster and Southwark: Noorthouck, J. : London, R. Baldwin & Co 1773
  9. A Dictionary of London, Harben, H.A: Herbert Jenkins,London,1922
  10. "Notice of Persons Elected 23 March 2017" (PDF). City of London Corporation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  11. "Natasha Lloyd-Owen wins Castle Baynard by-election"
  12. Labour had previously won a record total of five seats on the Common Council in March 2017, winning two seats in Portsoken, two seats in Cripplegate ward and one seat in Aldersgate ward
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