Site Records

SiteName: The Rotundas

Marsham Street
London SW1
OS Grid Ref: TQ298790

Sub Brit site visit 28th June 2001

Post War, in 1947 the Ministry of Information (MOI)(SP) occupied Room 532 in the South Rotunda while in the 1970's the North Rotunda housed the Federal telephone exchange and Horseferry Tandem the central exchange in the Government Telephone Network (GTN). The major racks and MDF were on the lowest level with the switchboard room above and offices on the top level. The North Rotunda also housed an administrative centre.

In the 1950s the North Rotunda formed the central hub of the new Regional War Room (RWR) network in conjunction with the 13 war rooms spread around the country. In effect it was the central government emergency headquarters. This use was short lived however and in the 1960's with the coming of the hydrogen bomb the Regional War Rooms were replaced by the Regional Seats of Government (RSG) and the Rotunda's role was reduced with a new central HQ proposed for Corsham. It is recorded however that it acted as an Exercise Central Seat of Government during Fallex62 because Corsham was considered too secret to use. For communications purposes it was known as the Fallex Communications Centre and was only occupied by the military with no civilian involvement. The Steel Frame Building also housed a Royal Observer Corps Training School which remained in use into the 1960's.

MDF in Federal Exchange photo by Richard Lamont

In the 1970's the site was used for various purposes including storage and general office space. The South Rotunda became the Civil Service sports and social club with a wide range of activities including, cricket nets, a boxing ring, snooker, karate, judo, theatre/cinema, table tennis, rifle range, disco and numerous bars; remaining in use until the 1990's. This also showed the general decline and reduced importance of the site.

The Steel Frame Building however retained its operational government and military role until the end housing, in the 1980's and 1990's, a Naval Communications Centre with a Naval Operations Room which saw active service both in the Falklands and the Gulf War. A suite of rooms in the South Rotunda was refurbished as a control centre for emergency situations arising in any Government offices in Westminster or in the rotundas themselves. These rooms also remained in use until the 1990's.

In the post war reconstruction between 1963 and 1971, the grotesque Department of the Environment building was erected over the site with three 200 foot high tower blocks, one resting on each of the citadels, providing 450000 feet of office space for 3600 civil servants. This was the largest single office building project in London prior to Canary Wharf. They were later to provide a temporary home for the Home Office while it's HQ in Queen Anne's Gate was renovated. Once the Home Office had vacated, the buildings were declared unfit for future use and an 18 month demolition process began in late 2001. Shortly before this started the North Rotunda was used by BT for the clean up project of their tunnel network including the removal of asbestos.

Further information and pictures about this site continues here

Home Page