The City of London Area Guide
The City of London is the historic centre around which modern London grew and the City's boundaries have remained virtually unchanged since the Middle Ages. It's now however, just a tiny part of the vast metropolis that is Greater London and is often referred to simply as the City or the Square Mile, because geographically it is just over one square mile in area.
The UK''s financial services industry has historically been based here and in the medieval period, the City was the full extent of London. The City today remains a major global business and financial centre. Even though The City has a resident population of only around 10,000, about 330,000 people work there daily, mainly in the financial services sector, although the legal profession has a strong presence in the west of the City, especially in Temple and Chancery Lane.
The City has many visitor attractions, as well as a host of characterful pubs, bars and restaurants, and there is a lively nightlife in the Bishopsgate area, towards Shoreditch. The market at Smithfield is one of London's main markets and the country's largest meat market. In the east of the City is Leadenhall Market, a fresh food market that is also a visitor attraction.
Fire, bombing and post-war redevelopment has meant that the City, despite its incredible history, has relatively few intact historic structures remaining, however the Monument to the Great Fire of London (also known just as "the Monument"), The Sir Christopher Wren designed St Paul's Cathedral, the Guildhall and the Royal Exchange are notable exceptions. St Pauls Apartments are ideally situated to explore all of these.
Dr. Johnson's House, Mansion House, 2 King's Bench Walk and Prince Henry's Room are notable survivors of heavy bombing of the Temple area, which has largely been rebuilt to its historic form. A few small sections of the Roman London Wall exist, near the Tower of London and also in the Barbican area. Calico House has a variety of great accomodation options if you're in the area!
The Tower of London is not strictly within the City, but is still a must-see London attraction located to the southeast of the City. Other landmark buildings include a number of modern high-rise buildings such as The Gherkin, Heron Tower and Tower 42 as well as the more low-rise Bank of England, the famous law courts of the Old Bailey and the innovative Lloyd's insurance building. The latter 3 of these are walking distance from the serviced apartments at Evangelist House.
What to do in The City
Listed below are some of the great places to visit in The City. Click one to find out more.
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The Monument, City of London
The Monument was built between 1671 and 1677 to commemorate the Great Fire of London and to celebrate the rebuilding of the City after the Fire. The fire began in a baker's house in Pudding Lane on Sunday 2nd September 1666 and finally extinguished on Wednesday 5th September, after destroying the greater part of the City. As part of the rebuilding, it was decided to erect a permanent memorial of the Great Fire near the place where it began and this was designed by Sir Christopher Wren. The Monument, as it came to be called, is 61 metres high (202 feet) - the exact distance between it and the site in Pudding Lane where the fire began.
The Monument was completely renovated in a 4.5 million pound project from 2007 until it's reopening in 2009 and now every year, over 150,000 visitors climb the 311 spiral steps to the Monument's observation gallery to enjoy unique and exhilarating views across the Capital.
You can find The Monument located at the junction of Monument Street and Fish Street Hill, and just a few steps from Monument underground station.
For more information visit: www.themonument.info
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The Bank of England & Museum
The Bank of England ismore than 300 years old and is the central bank of the United Kingdom. Sometimes known as the 'Old Lady' of Threadneedle Street, the Bank was founded in 1694, nationalised on 1 March 1946, and gained independence in 1997 and stands at the centre of the City's Square Mile, on Threadneedle Street.
The Bank of England Museum tells the story of the Bank of England from its foundation in 1694 to its role today as the United Kingdom's central bank. The historical displays include material drawn from the Bank's own collections of books, documents, silver, prints, paintings, banknotes, coins and photographs. There is a display of gold, including Roman and modern gold bars, alongside pikes and muskets once used to defend the Bank. Also the latest computer technology and audio visual displays explain the Bank's present day role in the world of finance. The entrance to the Museum is in Bartholomew Lane and is a short walk from Bank or Monument underground stations.
For more information visit: www.bankofengland.co.uk/education/museum/index.htm
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