| Baltic Exchange | |
|---|---|
 The main building of the Baltic Exchange after its completion in 1903 | |
 Interactive map of Baltic Exchange | |
| General information | |
| Status | Demolished |
| Type | Office |
| Location | St Mary Axe London,EC3 |
| Coordinates | 51°30′53″N0°04′51″W / 51.5146°N 0.0807°W /51.5146; -0.0807 |
| Completed | 1903 |
| Destroyed | 10 April 1992 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architects | Smith and Wimble |
| Main contractor | George Trollope & Sons |
TheBaltic Exchange was an importantlisted building and historic landmark at 24–28 St Mary Axe in theCity of London, occupied by theBaltic Exchange, a market for shipping, marine insurance, and information on maritime transportation. The building was known to some British architectural historians for its cathedral-liketrading hall and theBaltic Exchange Memorial Glass, astained glass war memorial.[1]
It was severely damaged by anIRA bombing in 1992 and between 1995 and 1998 was demolished. The site is now occupied by30 St Mary Axe ("The Gherkin");[2] the stained glass survived and can be seen at theNational Maritime Museum.
The building was designed by Smith and Wimble[3] and completed byGeorge Trollope & Sons in 1903:[4] it was subsequently listed as a Grade II*listed building.[5]
On 10 April 1992 at 9:20 pm, thefaçade of the Exchange's offices at 24–28 St Mary Axe was partially demolished, and the rest of the building was extensively damaged in a hugeProvisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) bomb attack. The one-ton bomb killed three people whilst 91 were wounded.[6] The bombing came a day after theGeneral Election.[7]
Architectural conservationists wanted to reconstruct what remained of the building, as it was the last remaining exchange floor in the City of London.English Heritage, the government's statutory conservation adviser, and theCity of London Corporation insisted that any redevelopment must restore the building's old façade onto St Mary Axe. In 1995, Baltic Exchange, unable to afford such an expensive undertaking alone, sold the site toTrafalgar House. The remaining sculptures and masonry of the structurally unstable façade block on the site were photographed and dismantled before the sale; the interior of the Exchange Hall, which was regarded as stable, was initially sealed from the elements in the hope that it would be preservedin situ in any new development, but the new owners subsequently dismantled it and stored it offsite in 1995–96.[5]
English Heritage later discovered that the damage was far more severe than it had previously thought. Accordingly, they stopped insisting on a full restoration. In 1998, what remained of the Exchange Hall was completely razed, with the permission of theplanning ministerJohn Prescott over the objections of architectural preservationists, includingSave Britain's Heritage, which sought a judicial review of his decision.[8]
The site, together with that of the Chamber of Shipping at 30–32 St Mary Axe, was used for the building of30 St Mary Axe, commonly referred to as "The Gherkin".[8]
The stained glass of theBaltic Exchange war memorial, which had only suffered superficial damage in the bomb blast, has been restored and is in theNational Maritime Museum.[9]
Some one thousand tons of salvaged redgranite, coloured marble, andPortland stone, together with much of the original plaster interior features that had survived the bomb, were first stored in a warehouse inReading, before in 2003 being sold to a salvage dealer, Derek Davies, who moved them toCheshire. In February 2003, Davies put the material up for sale on SalvoWEB, and late in 2005 sold it to another salvage dealer, Dennis Buggins. He then moved it from Cheshire to various barns aroundCanterbury in Kent and continued to advertise it on SalvoWEB.[10]
After years on the market, in June 2006 anEstonian businessman,Eerik-Niiles Kross, found an advertisement for the components of the Baltic Exchange building on SalvoWEB while trawling the web for reclaimed flooring.[11] He and his business partner Heiti Hääl bought the Baltic Exchange elements for £800,000[12] from Dennis Buggins of Extreme Architecture, and in June 2007 49 containers were shipped viaFelixstowe toTallinn.[13] The components sold included fifty crates with arches, staircases, marble columns, a carving ofBritannia and others, and Kross and Hääl said they would rebuild the building in central Tallinn like "Lego".[14]
As of 2010, site planning and construction had been postponed, due to the2008 financial crisis.[15] In June 2016, an exhibition was held to allow visitors to see the building's pediment. Due to financial problems and planning conflicts, the components had by then remained stored in their shipping containers for a decade.[16]
Prior to its bombing in 1992, the Baltic Exchange building was used as one of the film locations forHowards End, released in 1992. The film was an adaptation ofE. M. Forster's novel by the same name.[17]