The Faraday Building is in the south-west of the City of London. The land was first acquired by the General Post Office in the 1870s, for the Post Office Savings Bank. In 1902 it was converted to a GPO telephone exchange serving sections of London, and underwent several capacity expansions over the next several years. The eastern extension of the building stands on the site of Doctors' Commons whose members had lower-courts say in ecclesiastical and admiralty matters.