Abbey House, Baker Street

Abbey House is located at 219-229 Baker Street, London. It was formerly the headquarters for the Abbey Road Building Society from 1932 until 2002. The Abbey National Building Society was formed by the merger of the Abbey Road and the National Building Societies. J Joass designed the Abbey House building. The distinctive facade features a unique lighthouse sculpture with a fixed white light.  

In 2004, the former building society headquarters was turned into residential apartments, retaining the original façade.

Baker Street is located in the Marylebone district of the City of Westminster. It dates back to the 18th century and was originally laid out by the builder William Baker, after whom it is named. 

Perhaps the most famous association with Baker Street is its connection to the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. Created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Holmes’s residence at 221B Baker Street is one of the most famous addresses in literary history. While 221B Baker Street did not exist when Conan Doyle wrote the stories, the Sherlock Holmes Museum, located at 237-241 Baker Street, has become a popular destination for fans of the great detective. The museum is designed to look like Holmes’s Victorian-era flat, complete with period furniture and artefacts.

There is a statue of Sherlock Holmes outside Baker Street station on Marylebone Road, commemorating the detective’s lasting impact on the street and the city.

The connection between 221b Baker Street and the former Abbey National building is inscribed at the statue’s base.

The statue, sponsored by Abbey National plc, was commissioned in 1999.

The London Beatles Store is next to the Sherlock Holmes Museum. Abbey Road, made famous by one of the Beatles’ albums, is a couple of miles away, at the junction of Grove End Road.

Check out the London Lighthouse Trail for more lighthouse features in London.