After 86 years, Transport for London’s Lost Property Office will be moving out of the premises at 200 Baker Street it has occupied since 1933 to a new home in South Kensington.
Its new facility in Pelham Street will be more spacious, making it easier for staff to deal with the more than 900 items of lost property that are found on London’s transport network every day.
Relocation will take place over several weeks, with the processing of found items commencing from the new site in September. The full relocation is expected to be complete by 21 October and the office at Baker Street will remain open to customers until then for the collection of their property.
Lost Property Office manager Paul Cowan said: “Baker Street has been our home for nearly 86 years and, much like the great character Sherlock Holmes – whose residence was just up the road – we have enjoyed playing detective and have helped solve the mysteries of millions of items that have passed through our store.
“It’s now time for the next chapter. Our new location in South Kensington will allow us to continue helping people who have mislaid their items – although we urge customers to keep close care of their property while travelling, so they hopefully won’t need our services in the first place.”
The Lost Property Office keeps items for up to three months and tries to reunite them with owners through contact information found on the property or by matching them to customer enquiries. After three months, unclaimed items have any personal data removed and securely destroyed before they are either donated to charities, including The Salvation Army, The British Red Cross and Scope, or are recycled, sold or disposed of. Any revenue generated from unclaimed items contributes towards the cost of running the Lost Property Office.
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