Lost London: Baynard’s Castle
Don’t try to drive to Baynard’s Castle to test your eyesight, as you are unlikely to find it. Although if you do, you may wish to get your eyes tested after all, as there hasn’t been such a building since the Great Fire in 1666.
There were two iterations of Baynard’s Castle in London: the first was built by Ralph Baynard, a follower of William the Conqueror. Its site was within the city walls at the confluence of the Fleet and Thames; there had likely been a fortification on this strategic site before, though following the Norman Conquest a lot of fortifications were rebuilt, strengthened, or newly constructed to consolidate the power of the new ruling class.
Initially an earth and timber structure, the castle would have been fortified over the years. It also passed through a succession of owners, eventually entering the hands of Robert Fitzwalter, who was the leader of the barons' revolt against King John. It was alleged that the King had tried to seduce Fitzwalter’s daughter, Matilda, who was also known as Maid Marian – the real-life inspiration behind the person in the Robin Hood legends. The revolt would lead to Royalist forces attacking Baynard’s Castle and its subsequent demolition on the orders of King John in 1212.
Fitzwalter would later be forgiven, and have his lands restored. His castle may have been at least partially rebuilt, but in 1275 his grandson (also Robert) sold some of the site to the church, enabling the foundation of the Dominican Priory at Blackfriars.
In the 14th Century a medieval mansion was constructed at a site southeast of the original Baynard’s Castle, on land reclaimed from the Thames. The waterfront area where this mansion was built had become known as Baynard’s Castle, so the name was transferred to the new building. It would become a royal palace used by both the House of York and the Tudors – Edward IV assumed the title of king there, Richard III (if Shakespeare is to be believed) was crowned there, Henry VIII gave it to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, as a wedding present, and it was where the Privy Council met to declare Mary I as queen.
The second Baynard’s Castle was destroyed by the Great Fire of London in 1666; some considerable ruins were left, those these were removed in the 19th Century to make way for yards, wharfs and warehouses. The area was again redeveloped in the 1970s with the construction of an underpass and the Brutalist office block of Baynard House, occupied by the BT Group.