London/City of London

From MaxTravelz

The City of London Corporation of London, also known as "The City", or "The Square Mile" (after its approximate size), is the area of London that originally lay within the ancient and medieval lines of walls. The walls around the city, originally built by the Romans, have now largely disappeared (several vestiges still remain, one of the largest of which can be seen outside the Museum of the City of London, another just near the Tower of London) but various place names and streets hint at their prior existence. Locations such as Aldgate, Bishopsgate, Ludgate and Moorgate were originally marked the main gates in the city walls.

In British parlance, "The City" often refers to the financial sector, just as Americans might refer to "Wall Street." This area contains 242 foreign banks, which is more than any other financial centre. It also is home to the Bank of England and houses other institutions such as Lloyds and the London Stock Exchange. The City is the world's leading centre of international finance.

Contents 1 Get in 1.1 Tube (Underground) 1.2 Train 2 See 2.1 Landmarks 2.2 Churches 2.3 Museums and Galleries 2.4 Others 3 Do 4 Eat 5 Sleep 6 Buy 7 Get out

Get in

The City of London is served by a variety of public transport options. The following is a brief summary of transport services in this area; for full details of transport in London the reader should consult the Transport for London Journey Planner.

Tube (Underground)

Bank station, served by the Central, Northern, Waterloo & City and DLR lines, is perhaps the most central station. It is linked underground to Monument station, served by the District and Circle lines.

Train

Liverpool Street station, Moorgate, Fenchurch Street and Cannon Street are all rail terminuses within, or close to, the City. Note that Cannon Street is mainly a commuter station and is closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. All of the rail terminuses connect directly to the Underground except Fenchurch Street. Confusingly, Liverpool Street does not serve Liverpool (to get there you need to go to Euston, outside the Square Mile).

See

Landmarks

• St Paul's Cathedral , Access times for sightseeing (not services): Mo-Sa 8.30am-4pm (last admission), admission adults £8, concessions £7, family 2a+2c £19.50, children under 16 £3.50; group rates (10+ people) 50p cheaper, NB: the Cathedral sometimes has to close at short notice for special services - check online diary for closures - the great domed Cathedral of St Pauls, designed by Sir Christopher Wren to replace the Gothic medieval cathedral destroyed in 1666 in the Great Fire of London, was built between 1675 - 1710.
• the Tower of London , open March-October: Tu-Sa 9am-6pm, Su-Mo 10am-6pm, last admission 5pm, November-February Tu-Sa 9am-5pm, Su-Mo 10am-5pm, last admission 4pm; gate entry adults £14.50, children 5-16 £9.50, concessions £11, family 2a+3c £42 (pre-booked entry internet / telephone , avoiding queues £1 cheaper BUT with a £3 transaction fee) - Founded by William the Conqueror in 1066, enlarged and modified by successive sovereigns, the Tower is today one of the world's most famous and spectacular fortresses. Discover its 900-year history as a royal palace and fortress, prison and place of execution, mint, arsenal, menagerie and jewel house. In the winter you can ice skate on the dry moat.
• Mansion House - official residence of the Lord Mayor of London, completed in 1753
• the Monument , Monument St - designed by Sir Christopher Wren, this tall column (which can be ascended to get a great view) marks the alleged site where the Great Fire of London broke out in September 1666
• the Old Bailey (Central Criminal Court) , Old Bailey, between Holborn Circus and St Paul's Cathedral, Tube: St Pauls - follow signs to Old Bailey, tel 020 7248 3277, open Mo-Fr 10am-1pm and 2pm-5pm (approx), closed Bank Holiday Mondays and the day immediately after; there is also a reduced court sitting in August. NB: Public Gallery seating can never be reserved under any circumstances and children under 14 can not be admitted. No cameras, video equipment , mobile phones, bags, food or drink are allowed in the building - note that there are NO facilities for the safekeeping of such items available at the entrance to the public galleries. Daily case listings can be obtained from the Court Service website - universally known as the Old Bailey, this is the probably the most famous criminal court in the world, and has been London's principal criminal court for centuries. It hears cases remitted to it from all over England and Wales as well as the Greater London area. The present building dates largely from 1907 (a new block was added from 1970 for more modern facilities) and stands on the site of the infamous medieval Newgate Gaol. The Central Criminal Court is of course best known today for its association with John Mortimer's Rumpole of the Bailey character, novels and television series.
• the Bank of England - the "Old Lady of Threadneedle Street", includes the Bank of England Museum

Churches

• All Hallows by the Tower, Byward St
• Christ Church, Fournier Street, E1 6QE, 020 7859 3035, (Nearest tube: Liverpool Street) The restoration of the nave was completed in September 2004, and this church is still a striking building designed by Sir Nicholas Hawksmoor with a particularly tall, pointed spire. Hawksmoor's design was significantly altered in the 19th century, and present continuing restoration is intended to restore it to Hawksmoor's original vision.
• St Magnus the Martyr, Lower Thames St
• St Margaret Pattens, Rood Lane and Eastcheap
• St Mary-at-Hill
• St Mary le Bow , Cheapside
• St Stephen Walbrook, 39 Walbrook

Museums and Galleries

• the Museum of London , London Wall (NB: this is a street!), Underground: Barbican (walk south), St Pauls (walk north), tel +44 (0)870 444 3852, open daily Mo-Sa 10am-5.50pm, Su 12noon-5.50pm, last admission 5.30pm, closed 24-26 December, 1 January, admission free for permanent galleries and temporary exhibits - special exhibitions: adults £5, concessions £3, under 16s free; disabled access available, café, gift shop - established in 1975, the Museum of London explores the various threads of London's archaeology, history and culture throughout its more than 2,000 year old existence. Free and - like the city- endlessly fascinating! (The Museum now also has an offshoot in Docklands.
• the Bank of England Museum

Others

Financial Institutions and Markets

• the London Stock Exchange

After leaving its brutalist skyscraper on Old Broad Street, the London Stock Exchange now resides on Paternoster Square. It is the 4th largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalisation.

• the London Metal Exchange

The LME is the leading centre for non-ferrous metals trading. It is also the last financial market in London which still retains open outcry trading. It is located at 56 Leadenhall Street.

• the Baltic Exchange

The Baltic Exchange is the world's main marketplace for ship broking and is located next to the Swiss Re Tower.

• the International Petroleum Exchange

The IPE is significant in that it is one of the worlds largest energy futures and options exchanges and is located in St. Katherines Dock. The Brent Crude marker which represents an important benchmark for global oil prices is traded here. It also houses the European Climate Exchange where emissions trading takes place.

• the Lloyds of London

Lloyds serves as a meeting place where multiple financial backers or "members", whether individuals (traditionally known as "Names") or corporations, come together to pool and spread risk. Sadly it is not open to memebers of the public but it is still worth visiting as it is one of London's great modern buildings.

• the London Bullion Market Association

This is where the world gold price is 'fixed' twice daily. Until 2004 it took place at NM Rothschild's London headquarters on St. Swithin's Lane.

• St Bride Printing Library , Bride Lane, Fleet Street, EC4Y 8EE, 020 7353 4660. Open - Tues 1200-1730, Wed 1200-2100, Thur 1200-1700. This specialist small library houses an impressive range of books on graphic design, typography, bookbinding and papermaking. The books can't be borrowed but can be photocopied or photographed (with permission). An essential visit for any graphic design student.

The City sustained a great deal of damage from German bombing during the 'Blitz' of World War II, so there are far fewer older buildings than one might expect from so ancient a settlement. The Great Fire of London in 1666 also fairly comprehensively destroyed the City's medieval building stock. Nonetheless, many interesting older buildings remain, including the domed St. Paul's Cathedral (heroically saved by firefighters when it was bombed during the Second World War), nineteenth-century buildings at Leadenhall, Smithfield, and Spitalfields, the Gothic-style Guildhall, many monuments (including one built to remember the Great Fire of London), and the Temple Inns of Court.

Modern architecture is increasingly well represented in the City of London, notably by the Lloyds of London building *, designed by Richard Rogers, and by 30 St Mary Axe (the new Swiss Re building, locally nicknamed the gherkin), designed by one of Britain's leading architects, Sir Norman Foster, and recipient in 2004 of the Stirling Architectural Prize for Best Building.

Do

• Consider going along on one of the many excellent guided tours of the City, often with an evocative theme (ghost tours, Jack the Ripper, etc.)

Eat

Sleep

• the Great Eastern Hotel , Liverpool St - not a bargain stay, rooms start at £225 a night. Great, if money is no object.

Buy

Although not noted for the best shopping opportunities in London (these are securely held by the West End), the City nonetheless retains an above average shopping offer, having a large, relatively affluent and captive crowd of City workers right on their doorstep. Avoid shopping during lunchtime hours, if you can, as this is the time when workers are looking to do the same, in their thousands.

A number of retail venues stand out:

• the Royal Exchange - situated just outside Bank station and opposite the Bank of England, the Exchange houses a number of upmarket outlets, including Tiffany's and Mont Blanc. Part of the exterior was recently featured in the film Bridget Jones' Diary (at the end, when Bridget runs after Mark along a snowy street).

• Leadenhall Market - just off Gracechurch St (nearest tube is Monument) has a number of shops, but is worth visiting for its architecture and old-fashioned cobbled streets.

• Spitalfields Market - just off Bishopsgate (nearest tube is Liverpool St). Once a large thriving market, it has slowly been shrunk to a third of it's size by development in the area. But, it still features a good variety of clothing, crafts and food stalls/shops. Rather promisingly sellers have set up another market in a new space off Hanbury Street, nearby.

Get out

Cross the Thames by the Millennium Bridge to access the central part of South Bank, home to the Tate Modern gallery and Shakespeare's Globe...

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