Buildings in the City of London

All the original buildings were lost to the fire of 1666. Many of the old buildings erected over the centuries since then, were lost to the bombs of World War II. Many of those that remained have been lost in more recent years to gradual modernisation over a period of time. Those that are left now, in the 21st century, are all in danger of being lost to the new breed of property developer. History and grand Victorian buildings mean nothing to them. Buildings that have stood for a century at least, are being leveled to make way for tall glass and metal constructions that will destroy the character of the square mile. All over the City today there are cranes and building sites, with modern office blocks springing up like flat pack furniture. The annoying thing is that they are not needed, there are plenty of empty buildings to let all over the City and many are being renovated to their original condition, but the modern monstrosities are being allowed to over shadow them, and mutilate the skyline.

The Guildhall can be found in Guildhall Yard off Gresham Street. Parts of it date back as far as 1411 and it is the only stone building not belonging to the Church to have survived the Great Fire of 1666, although some damage was incurred. Restoration work was carried out in 1670 and more recently in 1866. Sadly a lot of this was lost during World War 2 and more modern structures added in 1954 and during the 90's. Much of the Corporation’s administration is still carried out there as well as many official dinners and ceremonies. The Clock Makers museum and the Guildhall Library are also housed there.

The Mansion House is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of the London. You can find it completing an imaginary triangle with the Bank of England and the Royal Exchange. It is used for many of the City's official functions. Designed by George Dance the elder, it took thirteen years to complete the building, from 1739 to 1752. Parts of it’s upper levels were demolished in 1794 and 1843 apparently due to being too large structures in comparison with the rest of the building. At the annual Lord Mayor’s Show scaffolding is erected where the incoming Lord Mayor and other officials watch the parade pass by before going to Saint Paul’s.

The Exchange was founded in 1565 by Sir Thomas Gresham and built at his own expense. It was used as a centre for commerce in the City of London. It was known as The Exchange until 1571 when Elizabeth I officially opened it as The Royal Exchange. The great fire of 1666 destroyed the original, and a new building opened three years later. This suffered the same fate, burning down in 1838.
The present building was opened by Queen Victoria in 1844 and remained the centre of commerce until 1939. The 21st century saw it become an up market shopping arcade for designer goods, and a plush bar while preserving the original outside architecture.

Tivoli Corner is at the rear of the Bank of England on the corner of Princes Street and Lothbury. It is much later than the rest of the building although the same style of architecture has been adopted to blend in. I can only assume it was added to the bank (in 1936) because of the high volume of traffic within the Square Mile, and the narrow pavement making it difficult for pedestrians to navigate. There is a circular hole in the ceiling bearing the inscription: “The Bank of England made this way through Tivoli corner for the citizens of London 1936”. It is a grand structure with pillars and two great arches, simply (I presume) to cut off the corner when walking.

When the ruin of the Temple of Mithras was found during excavation work in 1954 it caused quite a stir. It dated from the second century of the Roman occupation. It was carefully moved and stored stone by stone until the completion of Temple Court, the Legal and General Insurance office block. It was then replaced exactly as it had been found. It can now be seen in the open but many pass it by without even noticing it. It’s situated outside the the Legal and General building in Queen Victoria Street. It is soon to be moved again to a new covered site in the near future. It will apparently be closer to it’s original position on the bank of the now lost Walbrook river.

Although still known as the Lloyd's building, I believe it was sold to another company around 2004. It is located on the corner of Leadenhall Street and Lime Street, and due to it's stainless steel structure is unmistakable. It was designed by Richard Rogers and built over eight years from 1978 to 1986. The stairs, elevators, electric’s, and water pipes are all located on the outside of the building, and the 12 glass lifts were the first of their kind in the UK. The original 1928 building was demolished to make way for the present one. Only the original entrance in Leadenhall Street remains. It was left standing and now forms an uncomfortable looking addition.

This was the start of it all, high rise mania in the Square Mile
Formerly known as the Nat West Tower, it was built between 1971 and 1979, opening in 1980. It now belongs to another company, a law firm I believe. The 600 foot high Tower 42 remained the tallest building in London for ten years until it was beaten by the Canary Wharf development in the Docklands development. It was also the highest cantilever structure in the world. When you stand at it’s base at 25 Old Broad Street you can see there is nothing supporting it on either side.

Built as the Swiss Re Building, it retains it’s nickname of ‘the Gherkin’ It is in my opinion, one of the ugliest monstrosities to be inflicted on the City! Worse than any of the other modern structures (so far). It stands at 30 Saint Mary Axe, but can be seen on the skyline for miles around. It was built to replace the old Baltic Exchange building destroyed by terrorists in the eighties. It is the backdrop for many old buildings, and is totally out of place, constructed almost entirely from glass and metal. It would have ideally suited the modern surroundings of Docklands rather than here. After inflicting us with the structure the Swiss Re sold it for £600 million in 2006.