What did Baynard's Castle blue plaque do at Upper Thames Street?

The Story

# Baynard's Castle on Upper Thames Street Standing on Upper Thames Street, you're positioned where one of medieval London's most formidable strongholds rose majestically along the Thames riverbank from 1428 until the Great Fire of 1666 consumed it entirely. This location's strategic position—perched directly on London's vital waterway—made Baynard's Castle not merely a residence but a gateway fortress, where arriving dignitaries, foreign ambassadors, and royalty themselves would first set foot in the City as their barges pulled up to the castle's water gate. Within these riverside walls, nobles hosted lavish banquets and state occasions that shaped English political life; it was here that major decisions were debated, alliances forged, and the power dynamics of Tudor and Stuart England played out against the backdrop of the Thames. The castle's destruction in 1666 marked the end of an era—this exact spot witnessed nearly two and a half centuries of London history evaporate in flames, taking with it the physical anchor of one of the medieval city's most important institutions, leaving behind only this plaque and the memory of grandeur that once commanded the riverbank.