Ye Olde City of London - Where the gold and money rule
The City of London is steeped deep in both, history and modernity. A wondrous entity where trade and money, and money trading, have played a major role in the financial power the city has created over the world.
It is a sovereign district, more like a state within a state, with own jurisdiction, police, rules and rituals dating back to the most ancient times.
If you look for the most historically exciting area in London, this is it. To embrace all the details that this place has to offer - would take a long read, and a few days to explore.
The main entrance to the City is via a ceremonial route, from Westminster, marked by a sculpture of a Dragon. (There are dragons on each entry streets to the City). The pedestal is decorated with statues of Queen Victoria and her son, later Edward VII.
The name derives from an area, the Temple, named after the nearby Temple Church (lower right), once the headquarters of the Knights Templar. It featured in the famous Da Vinci Code book and film.
Fleet Street has been an important through-route since Roman times. There are rows of old buildings next to some modern ones. The street had been associated with printing and publishing for over 400 years; in the 20th century, most British national newspapers had main offices here so much so that the term 'Fleet Street' is correlated with the Press and journalism to this day.
Supposedly the wedding cakes shape takes the form from this church's tower. In 1703 a baker’s apprentice fell in love with his employer's daughter. As he wanted to impress the family, he used St Bride's Church tower as inspiration for the cake at his wedding. It was a success and the tradition caught on. And the peculiar name - a Bride?
Fleet Street ends at the Ludgate Circus (above, lower left), a road junction which rises up on Ludgate Hill to St Paul's Cathedral. In a house nearby, The Daily Currant, the first London daily newspaper was published, in 1702.
St Paul's has been a host to the ceremonies of national importance such as funerals of Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher; the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana; the thanksgiving services for Queen Elizabeth II Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees and her birthdays. Tourist entry fee is around £20 but you may enter free of charge if attending the mass services.
Paternoster Square (above) is to the left of St. Paul's Cathedral main entrance. It a saintly quiet place. At its centre is a large Corinthian column topped by the urn of golden flames, similar to that of The Monument to the Great Fire. The column commemorates two fires - in 1666 and 1940, during Nazi Blitz. It also serves as a ventilation shaft for the London Underground.
Original Stock Exchange in London was opened by Elizabeth I in 1571, in the nearby Royal Exchange (below, lower right). The Treasury used the stock market to raise the money for various operations, most notably the wars against Napoleon.
Two other British cities showed great business acumen in years after Napoleonic Wars: Liverpool and Manchester and in 1836 both cities opened own stock exchange markets to allow raise money for local investments, most notably the Lancashire cotton mills. The two exchanges continued to trade until the year 2000 (!). Both were closed and the finance industry relocated entirely to the City of London. (Leaving the North-West a bit bare and scarce, one should think.)
Anyway, it just comes to mind - Paternoster Square is probably the best place in the world to pray and prey for money ;)
The next most reverent structure in the City of London is St Mary-le-Bow (above, upper left), a historic church, rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1666. It is where the financial sector has mass services and they last only a quarter of an hour, the shortest of anywhere else. We all know that: time is money.
Guildhall is the City of London's own town hall; it has been so for several hundred years. The remains of the largest Roman amphitheatre in Britannia are on display in the basement of Guildhall Art Gallery. The black circle on the courtyard in front of the hall outlines the amphitheatre's scale.
The current building dates back to 1440 and its historic interiors are open to the public during the annual London Open House weekend.
The Members Bar in the Guildhall serves the cheapest spirits in London, for as little as 60p (in 2017). To have access, however, one has to have the privilege of being a member of the Court of Common Council or the Court of Aldermen of the City of London. The bar is heavily subsidised from the City's wealth fund. Nice.
The Bank of England (above, lower left) is on the east of Guildhall court. Sometimes referred to as The Old Lady, this central bank is the model on which most modern national banks have been based, setting countries monetary policies. It was privately owned from its foundation in 1694 until it was nationalised in 1946. The road junction in front of the Bank is the traditional centre of London's financial affairs.
30 St Mary Axe (upper left) widely recognised as The Gherkin, another London landmark, stands on the site damaged in 1992 by IRA bombing. Since 2014 the Brazilian billionaire, Joseph Safra, is the owner.
This is only a small part of the City of London, yet the best route to take in a scarcity of time.
Medieval London had two main districts - the City of London, where ordinary busy life had been run, and the City of Westminster, the seat of power - monarchy and government - now also the cultural West End.
Over time the ordinary citizens moved outwards from the City, creating all the adjacent London boroughs. The City has now only a few thousand residents but almost a million people travel here for work in the big financial institutions and services.
The eastern old part of the City is beaming with the "Ye olde" memoirs of the Merry Old England - the legendary medieval period, praised in song and literature.
If you look for the most historically exciting area in London, this is it. To embrace all the details that this place has to offer - would take a long read, and a few days to explore.
We had chosen a strange weather condition - or it had chosen us ;) There was a strong yellowish sky when we visited, the photos depict this sepia hue. So much the better - enhancing the old and arcane atmosphere of this area.
The main entrance to the City is via a ceremonial route, from Westminster, marked by a sculpture of a Dragon. (There are dragons on each entry streets to the City). The pedestal is decorated with statues of Queen Victoria and her son, later Edward VII.
Apparently, there is a custom for the British monarch to halt at this point - the Temple Bar (upper left and right), and be greeted by the Lord Mayor of the City himself, before entering the City (as a separate and independent from the Crown entity). The bar stood here since the late 13th century. It guarded the entrance and was a point of collecting the tolls and taxes. So, you can imagine...
The name derives from an area, the Temple, named after the nearby Temple Church (lower right), once the headquarters of the Knights Templar. It featured in the famous Da Vinci Code book and film.
The Temple is interesting in itself. This is a lawyers' quarter. Every person of the legal profession in England belongs to one of the two ancient Inns of Court - Inner Temple and Middle Temple. They are located around here. The Royal Court of Justice is just a few steps away from the Temple Bar.
Going down the famed Fleet Street is the Church of St Dunstan-in-the-West (above, lower-left), an archbishop who died in 988. The church has numerous literary connections, most notable in the Sweeney Todd tale, the 'demon-barber' of Fleet Street, who dumped the remnants of his victims in the church's crypt.
Going down the famed Fleet Street is the Church of St Dunstan-in-the-West (above, lower-left), an archbishop who died in 988. The church has numerous literary connections, most notable in the Sweeney Todd tale, the 'demon-barber' of Fleet Street, who dumped the remnants of his victims in the church's crypt.
St Dunstan's Churchyard is a Royal Peculiar church, meaning it is exempt from the jurisdiction of any diocese and subject to the monarch only. It had been associated with the publishing industry, and is known as the 'journalists church'.
Pubs here were once frequented by authors, publishers and journalists. One of the most charming, and with a long literary tradition, is Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese (above, upper-left), rebuilt shortly after the Great Fire of 1666. Its regulars had been Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, P. G. Wodehouse, Samuel Johnson, W. B. Yeats. Agatha Christie's detective, Hercule Poirot dined here in her Million Dollar Bond Robbery.
St Bride's Church (its distinctive tower seen on the upper left), rebuilt after the Great Fire in 1666, has also a long association with journalism and newspapers. In 2016 Rupert Murdoch, the media mogul, had his wedding ceremony here. A chance?
Supposedly the wedding cakes shape takes the form from this church's tower. In 1703 a baker’s apprentice fell in love with his employer's daughter. As he wanted to impress the family, he used St Bride's Church tower as inspiration for the cake at his wedding. It was a success and the tradition caught on. And the peculiar name - a Bride?
Fleet Street ends at the Ludgate Circus (above, lower left), a road junction which rises up on Ludgate Hill to St Paul's Cathedral. In a house nearby, The Daily Currant, the first London daily newspaper was published, in 1702.
St Paul's Cathedral (above, lower right) is at the heart of the Church of England services. For centuries, it's grounds had been the centre-stage of Londoners' everyday life. In Roman times a temple of the goddess Diana was here. It was rebuilt after the Great Fire and the dome has dominated the city skyline for another 300 years. It is the second-largest in the UK, after Liverpool Cathedral. And it has correlations with St. Peter's in Rome, too.
St Paul's has been a host to the ceremonies of national importance such as funerals of Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher; the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana; the thanksgiving services for Queen Elizabeth II Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees and her birthdays. Tourist entry fee is around £20 but you may enter free of charge if attending the mass services.
One would never assume that this chaste and holy little place is privately owned public space, where tons of tons of money are traded every working day in the surrounding buildings.
London Stock Exchange (above, lower left and right) relocated here in 2004. Also in 2004, the original Temple Bar Gate (upper right, on the right) from 1669 was re-erected here as the entrance to the square. The square is also the London address of the big investment corporations such as Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch and Fidelity.
Original Stock Exchange in London was opened by Elizabeth I in 1571, in the nearby Royal Exchange (below, lower right). The Treasury used the stock market to raise the money for various operations, most notably the wars against Napoleon.
Two other British cities showed great business acumen in years after Napoleonic Wars: Liverpool and Manchester and in 1836 both cities opened own stock exchange markets to allow raise money for local investments, most notably the Lancashire cotton mills. The two exchanges continued to trade until the year 2000 (!). Both were closed and the finance industry relocated entirely to the City of London. (Leaving the North-West a bit bare and scarce, one should think.)
Anyway, it just comes to mind - Paternoster Square is probably the best place in the world to pray and prey for money ;)
The next most reverent structure in the City of London is St Mary-le-Bow (above, upper left), a historic church, rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1666. It is where the financial sector has mass services and they last only a quarter of an hour, the shortest of anywhere else. We all know that: time is money.
According to a tradition, a true Cockney - an East-Londoner - must be born within the sounds of St. Mary Bow's bells. Those bells toll has been used by the BBC World Service since 1946. In the churchyard is a statue of Captain John Smith, former parishioner, and founder of the American state of Virginia.
Following Cheapside (the name derives from an old version of shop - 'cheap') we detour the straight line to the Bank, to see the ceremonial and administrative centre of the City of London, through one of the narrow merchants' alleys. Another arcane place of the City's aura is the Guildhall plaza (above, upper right).
Guildhall is the City of London's own town hall; it has been so for several hundred years. The remains of the largest Roman amphitheatre in Britannia are on display in the basement of Guildhall Art Gallery. The black circle on the courtyard in front of the hall outlines the amphitheatre's scale.
The current building dates back to 1440 and its historic interiors are open to the public during the annual London Open House weekend.
The Members Bar in the Guildhall serves the cheapest spirits in London, for as little as 60p (in 2017). To have access, however, one has to have the privilege of being a member of the Court of Common Council or the Court of Aldermen of the City of London. The bar is heavily subsidised from the City's wealth fund. Nice.
The Bank of England (above, lower left) is on the east of Guildhall court. Sometimes referred to as The Old Lady, this central bank is the model on which most modern national banks have been based, setting countries monetary policies. It was privately owned from its foundation in 1694 until it was nationalised in 1946. The road junction in front of the Bank is the traditional centre of London's financial affairs.
The Bank building holds custody to the gold reserves of the United Kingdom and many other countries. The gold is stored in the underground vaults, in massive amounts, still - a tiny percentage of what other private businesses in the City operate with.
The Royal Exchange (above, lower right) at the Bank junction was founded in the 16th century, and was the centre of commerce for London. The present building is from the 19th century. On the steps, certain proclamations are still read out to the public by a herald, such as the death of a monarch and of the next monarch's accession. The Reuters news agency was at No. 1 Royal Exchange Buildings in 1851. It later moved to Fleet Street.
The Royal Exchange (above, lower right) at the Bank junction was founded in the 16th century, and was the centre of commerce for London. The present building is from the 19th century. On the steps, certain proclamations are still read out to the public by a herald, such as the death of a monarch and of the next monarch's accession. The Reuters news agency was at No. 1 Royal Exchange Buildings in 1851. It later moved to Fleet Street.
Crossing the A10, Bishopsgate we find ourselves in a completely different world of modern skyscrapers. It has been lurking for a while as a backdrop to the old City. Yet still, in this patchwork of dark and narrow streets of the high-raisers, centuries-old venerable structures can be admired.
30 St Mary Axe (upper left) widely recognised as The Gherkin, another London landmark, stands on the site damaged in 1992 by IRA bombing. Since 2014 the Brazilian billionaire, Joseph Safra, is the owner.
Some of the tenants over the years included Standard Life, ION Trading, Falcon Group, Swiss Re, Algotechs, shops and restaurants. Sky News business programme is broadcasted from here.
St Andrew Undershaft Church was constructed in 1532 but a church has existed on the site since the 12th century. The church's curious name apparently derives from the Maypole that had been set up each year next to the church, upholding a Pagan tradition. Famous painter, Hans Holbein the Younger, is possibly buried inside St Andrew.
Hidden in the shadows of the enormous glass-metal towers, are two enduring churches of St Andrew Undershaft (above, lower left) and St Helen's Bishopsgate (above, lower right, fragment). In the overwhelming presence of the futurist architecture, they do work as a time-machines. They are of only few City of London churches to survive both the Great Fire and the Luftwaffe bombings during World War II.
Of the two, St Helen's is of prime importance, sometimes referred to as the "Westminster Abbey of the City". The church dates from the 13th century
It was apparently the parish church of William Shakespeare. Sir Thomas Gresham (died 1579) the founder of the Royal Exchange is entombed here.
In the paved area on the side of the church, is a dedicated place to exhibit the works from the Sculpture in the City initiative. This one is called Crocodylius Philodendrus by Nancy Rubins. Reptiles and deers (easy game?) in a dramatic expression of creation (and destruction?).
This is only a small part of the City of London, yet the best route to take in a scarcity of time.
Next part to follow: City of London - Global Business Skyscrapers