Electra House is a building at 84 Moorgate, London, England. It is notable as the wartime London base of Cable & Wireless Limited, and office of Department EH — one of the three British organisations that merged in World War II to form the

Special Operations Executive Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a British organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in German-occupied Europe and to aid local Resistance during World War II, resistance movements during World War II. ...

. From September 2024, it is the campus for the Fashion Retail Academy, a

further education Further education (often abbreviated FE) in the United Kingdom and Ireland is additional education to that received at secondary school that is distinct from the higher education (HE) offered in universities and other academic institutions. It ...

and

higher education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

college. It is not to be confused with Electra House in

Brixton Brixton is an area of South London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th century ...

, the depot for

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or as the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent home counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The Undergro ...

Train Operators based at Brixton on the

Victoria Line The Victoria line is a London Underground line that runs between in South London, and in the east, via the West End of London, West End. It is printed in light blue on the Tube map and is one of the only two lines on the network to run comp ...

History

Architect John Belcher designed the building, which opened in 1902 as accommodation for the Eastern Telegraph Company. On 11 May 1933, the company transferred administrative functions to a new Electra House building on Victoria Embankment. This became the administrative headquarters for the renamed Imperial and International Communications, which became Cable & Wireless Limited in 1934. The

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United ...

created a

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...

organisation known as Department EH, after its headquarters Electra House. Department EH was involved in the monitoring of foreign embassy communications, and cabling run between both buildings ensured continuance of this service even following direct bomb damage during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The remaining Cable & Wireless operations were finally moved from the Moorgate building to Victoria Embankment when the original building suffered severe bomb damage during

. Electra House (Victoria Embankment) was itself subsequently hit by a

V-1 flying bomb The V-1 flying bomb ( "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Reich Aviation Ministry () name was Fieseler Fi 103 and its suggestive name was (hellhound). It was also known to the Allies as the buzz bomb or doodlebug a ...

in July 1944, but this resulted in only three fatalities among the 400 attending staff and did not stop daily operations. Electra House continued to be a hub for telecommunications activities by its eventual owners,

BT Group BT Group plc (formerly British Telecom) is a British Multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered in London, England. It has operations in around 180 countries and is the largest provider of fixed-li ...

, until its final demolition and replacement by a new building, now occupied by

British American Tobacco British American Tobacco p.l.c. (BAT) is a British multinational company that manufactures and sells cigarettes, tobacco and other nicotine products including electronic cigarettes. The company, established in 1902, is headquartered in London, E ...

. The Electra House Retired Colleagues Association, formed from staff of Electra House (Victoria Embankment) and other

offices, continue to stay in contact and meet. Following its repair from bomb damage, City of London College moved into Electra House in Moorgate in 1944 and occupied the building, including when it became part of

London Metropolitan University London Metropolitan University, commonly known as London Met, is a public university, public research university in London, England. The University of North London and London Guildhall University merged in 2002 to create the university. The Un ...

, until 2017. In 2021 a major £21 million renovation was announced.

Present use

Following a £50 million renovation, the Fashion Retail Academy moved to Electra House in September 2024 from its previous location at 15 Gresse Street. Facilities at the newly-opened campus include a library housing over 5,000 fashion books and publications, 28 multi-purpose classrooms, 6 lecture theatres, a fashion design wing, photography studio and a number of social and collaborative spaces including a coffee shop for students. The ground floor reception area will also incorporate a small museum exploring the history of Electra House, which will be open to the public.

References

External links

The Political Intelligence Department and Department Electra House
{{Coord, 51.5177, -0.0882, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Grade II listed buildings in the City of London BT Group buildings and structures History of telecommunications in the United Kingdom London Metropolitan University Special Operations Executive Telecommunications in World War II