London/City of London

From Imakoopedia

The City 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 is home to major banks, including the Bank of England, and other financial sector companies, such as Lloyds of London and Swiss Re.

Table of 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 8 External links

Get in

The City of London is served by a variety of public transport option. The following is a brief summary of tranport services in this area; for full details of transport in London the reader should consult the Transport for London Journey Planner (http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk).

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.

See

Landmarks

• St Paul's Cathedral [1] (http://www.stpauls.co.uk/)
• the Tower of London [2] (http://www.hrp.org.uk/webcode/tower_home.asp)
• Mansion House [3] (http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/leisure_heritage/architectural_heritage/mansion_house.htm) - official residence of the Lord Mayor of London, completed in 1753
• the Monument [4] (http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/leisure_heritage/architectural_heritage/monument.htm), 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) [5] (http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/leisure_heritage/architectural_heritage/criminal_court.htm)
• the Bank of England [6] (http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/) - the "Old Lady of Threadneedle Street, includes the Bank of England Museum [7] (http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/museum/index.asp)

Churches

• All Hallows by the Tower, Byward St
• 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 [8] (http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/)

Others

• the London Stock Exchange [9] (http://www.londonstockexchange.com/)

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 *[10] (http://www.lloyds.com/index.asp?ItemId=4486), designed by Richard Rogers, and by 30 St Mary Axe [11] (http://www.30stmaryaxe.com/) (the new Swiss Re building, locally nicknamed the erotic gherkin), designed by one of Britain's leadign 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.) [12] (http://london.walks.com/)

Eat

Sleep

• the Great Eastern Hotel [13] (http://www.great-eastern-hotel.co.uk/), 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 [14] (http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/our_services/markets/leadenhall.htm) - 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.

• Spittalfield Market - just off Bishopsgate (nearest tube is Liverpool St), features a large variety of shops and temporary stalls

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...

External links

• Corporation of London (http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk)