Skinners’ Hall, City of London: structured cabling and security infrastructure
Resilient Cat6A and OM4 fibre cabling, a managed UniFi network and CCTV infrastructure, delivered across a Grade I listed livery hall in two coordinated phases.
Skinners’ Hall, the historic Grade I listed home of the Worshipful Company of Skinners on Dowgate Hill, needed a resilient, modern network capable of supporting the building’s full range of activities without disturbing its historic fabric. ACCL delivered the complete structured cabling, fibre backbone, active network and CCTV infrastructure across two phases, with every one of more than 450 outlets and 112 fibre cores passing first-time testing.
The result
ACCL delivered a fully tested, warrantied network and security infrastructure across a Grade I listed City of London livery hall. The completed project provided Skinners’ Hall with:
- 100% first-time pass rate across both phases, zero failures
- Resilient OM4 fibre backbone across nine network cabinets
- A full UniFi active network: routing, switching and Wi-Fi
- Redundant power protection via a dedicated UPS
- CCTV integrated throughout the historic building
- 453 Cat6A outlets installed across basement to third floor
- A 25-year system warranty on Cat6A and fibre
Services delivered
Overview
Skinners’ Hall on Dowgate Hill is the historic home of the Worshipful Company of Skinners, one of the City of London’s Great Twelve livery companies, with origins dating back centuries. Behind its Grade I listed facade, the hall needed a network infrastructure capable of supporting everything from day-to-day administration to hosting events across its historic halls and vaulted spaces.
ACCL was appointed by specialist electrical contractor MSE Group to design, install and test the complete structured cabling, fibre backbone, active network and CCTV infrastructure, delivered across two coordinated phases.
The challenge
A building of this age and status brings constraints a modern office simply doesn’t have. Every cable route, containment run and outlet position had to work around a protected, Grade I listed structure spanning basement to third floor, without compromising the historic fabric the Skinners’ Company is responsible for preserving.
The infrastructure also had to do more than pass a test on installation day. With nine network cabinets spread across basement plant rooms and riser cupboards on every floor, and well over 500 individual cable runs across both phases, the installation had to be planned and labelled precisely enough that the system stays manageable for years, not just on handover day.
A Grade I listed home for a modern network
Skinners’ Hall’s origins stretch back centuries, and its current building carries the full weight of that history: carved stonework, a listed facade and interiors that mix historic fabric with contemporary fit-out. Any new infrastructure had to be genuinely unobtrusive to that heritage character.
Working with MSE Group, ACCL planned cable routes and cabinet positions across basement, ground, first, second and third floors, keeping runs within existing risers and plant rooms wherever possible and coordinating every containment run around the building’s protected structure.
Two phases, one resilient network
Phase One, tested and warrantied in late 2023 and early 2024, installed 277 Cat6A outlets from nine network cabinets across the basement, ground, first and second floors, backed by a 112-core Excel OM4 fibre backbone linking every cabinet back to the main equipment room.
Phase Two extended the network further into the building through 2024, adding a further 176 tested outlets across additional cabinets. Across both phases, ACCL also installed a complete UniFi active network, comprising an aggregation switch, a 48-port PoE switch, U6-PRO wireless access points and a UniFi Dream Machine SE router, protected by a dedicated Vertiv 3kVA UPS and redundant power supply.
CCTV and a fully managed network throughout
The hall’s vaulted basement, along with the rest of the building, now carries CCTV infrastructure integrated into the same managed network as the rest of the site, giving the Skinners’ Company consistent coverage and management across every space, historic or modern.
The same disciplined approach, respecting the building while delivering a genuinely modern system, ran through every space ACCL touched, from plant rooms to the public-facing halls above.
Tested and warrantied to the highest standard
Every cable installed across both phases was tested using calibrated Fluke Networks equipment: a DSX-8000 for the Cat6A copper links, tested to the TIA Cat 6A Permanent Link standard, and a CertiFiber Pro for the OM4 fibre backbone, tested to the TIA-568.3-E multimode standard.
The result: 453 Cat6A outlets and 112 fibre cores, all passing first time, with zero failures and zero warnings across either phase. Both the Cat6A and OM4 fibre systems carry a 25-year manufacturer-backed Excel system warranty.
Project context
Grade I listed livery hall · City of London
Structured cabling in the City of London →Installing network infrastructure in a listed building?
ACCL delivered a fully tested, 25-year warrantied Cat6A and fibre network, plus CCTV and a managed UniFi network, across Skinners’ Hall’s Grade I listed building in two coordinated phases, with zero failures on test.
Technologies used
ACCL’s role
This project required far more than running cable through a historic building. ACCL provided Skinners’ Hall with a complete network and security infrastructure service, including:
- Appointed by MSE Group for the full ICT package
- Cat6A cabling design across nine network cabinets
- 112-core OM4 fibre backbone linking every cabinet
- Full UniFi active network installation
- Redundant power via a dedicated Vertiv UPS
- CCTV infrastructure integrated throughout the building
- Testing every link to TIA standards with Fluke gear
- 453 outlets and 112 fibre cores, zero test failures
- Schematics, cabinet layouts and O&M manuals
- 25-year Excel warranty on both systems
Explore related ACCL services
Related guidance
Foreword by Wayne
“Skinners’ Hall is exactly the kind of project that separates a cabling installer from an infrastructure partner. You’re not just running cable, you’re working inside a Grade I listed building that’s centuries old, coordinating with a specialist electrical contractor, and doing it in phases across basement to third floor without leaving a mark on the fabric of the place. What I’m proudest of isn’t any single number, it’s that across two separate phases and well over 500 individual tests, not one came back with a failure. That’s what disciplined planning and testing actually buys a client.”Wayne Connors, Managing Director, ACCL
Frequently asked questions
What is Skinners’ Hall?
Skinners’ Hall on Dowgate Hill is the historic Grade I listed home of the Worshipful Company of Skinners, one of the City of London’s Great Twelve livery companies.
Why was the project delivered in two phases?
Phase One, tested and warrantied in late 2023 and early 2024, covered 277 Cat6A outlets and the OM4 fibre backbone across nine network cabinets. Phase Two extended the network further into the building through 2024, adding a further 176 tested outlets.
How many outlets and fibre cores did ACCL install?
453 Cat6A outlets across both phases, backed by a 112-core OM4 fibre backbone linking nine network cabinets from the basement to the third floor.
What was the test pass rate?
100%. Every Cat6A outlet and every fibre core passed first time, with zero failures and zero warnings recorded across either phase.
What cabling standard was used and why does it matter in a listed building?
Excel Cat6A U/FTP cabling and Excel Enbeam OM4 armoured fibre, both tested to TIA standards. In a Grade I listed building, planning cable routes that avoid disturbing the historic fabric matters as much as the cabling standard itself.
What active network equipment did ACCL install?
A complete Ubiquiti UniFi network: a Dream Machine SE router, an aggregation switch, a 48-port PoE switch and U6-PRO wireless access points, protected by a dedicated Vertiv 3kVA UPS and a UniFi redundant power supply.
Did ACCL install CCTV at Skinners’ Hall?
Yes. CCTV infrastructure was integrated throughout the building, including the historic vaulted basement, running on the same managed network as the rest of the site.
What warranty does the installation carry?
A 25-year manufacturer-backed Excel system warranty, registered separately for both the Cat6A copper system and the OM4 fibre system.
Who appointed ACCL for this project?
ACCL was appointed by MSE Group, a specialist electrical contractor, to design, install and test the complete structured cabling, fibre backbone, active network and CCTV infrastructure.
How was testing carried out?
Using calibrated Fluke Networks equipment: a DSX-8000 for Cat6A copper links, tested to the TIA Cat 6A Permanent Link standard, and a CertiFiber Pro for the OM4 fibre backbone, tested to the TIA-568.3-E multimode standard.
How many network cabinets were installed?
Nine network cabinets in total, positioned across basement plant rooms and riser cupboards on every floor from the basement to the third floor.
Installing infrastructure in a heritage or listed building?
Talk to the team that delivered a fully tested, warrantied network and security infrastructure across Skinners’ Hall’s Grade I listed building, with zero failures across two phases.
Book a free site survey 0333 900 0101