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For London as a whole, see the main article London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
.


The City of London is a geographically small city
City status in the United Kingdom

City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarchy to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city"....
 within Greater London
Greater London

Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. The administrative area was officially created in 1965 and covers the City of London , the City of Westminster and the other 31 London boroughs....
, England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
. It is the historic core of London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 around which, along with Westminster
Westminster

Westminster is an area of Central London, within the City of Westminster. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross....
, the modern conurbation
Conurbation

A conurbation is an urban area or agglomeration comprising a number of cities, large towns and larger urban areas that, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area....
 grew. The City’s boundaries have remained almost constant since the Middle Ages
Middle Ages

File:Karl 1 mit papst gelasius gregor1 sacramentar v karl d kahlen.jpgThe Middle Ages of European history are a period in history which lasted for roughly a millennium, commonly dated from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the beginning of the Early Modern Period in the 16th century, marked by the division of Western Christi...
, and hence it is now only a tiny part of the much larger London metropolis. It is often referred to as the City or the Square Mile, as it is almost one square mile (2.6 km²) in area.






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Encyclopedia


For London as a whole, see the main article London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
.


The City of London is a geographically small city
City status in the United Kingdom

City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarchy to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city"....
 within Greater London
Greater London

Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. The administrative area was officially created in 1965 and covers the City of London , the City of Westminster and the other 31 London boroughs....
, England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
. It is the historic core of London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 around which, along with Westminster
Westminster

Westminster is an area of Central London, within the City of Westminster. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross....
, the modern conurbation
Conurbation

A conurbation is an urban area or agglomeration comprising a number of cities, large towns and larger urban areas that, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area....
 grew. The City’s boundaries have remained almost constant since the Middle Ages
Middle Ages

File:Karl 1 mit papst gelasius gregor1 sacramentar v karl d kahlen.jpgThe Middle Ages of European history are a period in history which lasted for roughly a millennium, commonly dated from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the beginning of the Early Modern Period in the 16th century, marked by the division of Western Christi...
, and hence it is now only a tiny part of the much larger London metropolis. It is often referred to as the City or the Square Mile, as it is almost one square mile (2.6 km²) in area. These terms are also often used as metonyms
Metonymy

Metonymy is a figure of speech used in rhetoric in which a thing or concept is not called by its own name, but by the name of something intimately associated with that thing or concept....
 for the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
's financial services
Financial services

Financial services refer to Service provided by the finance industry. The finance industry encompasses a broad range of organizations that deal with the management of money....
 industry, which is principally based there.

In the medieval period the City was the full extent of London, and distinct from the nearby but separate settlement of Westminster, which became the City of Westminster
City of Westminster

The City of Westminster is a London borough of London with City status in the United Kingdom. It is located west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, and forms part of Inner London and the bulk of London's central area....
. The term London now refers to a much larger conurbation containing both cities. The City of London is still part of London's city centre, but most of London's metropolitan functions apart from financial services are centred on the West End
West End of London

The West End of London is an area of Central London, England, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, businesses, headquarters and the commercial West End theatres....
. The City is today a major business and financial centre, ranking on a par with New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
 as the leading centre of global finance. The City has a resident population of under 10,000, whilst it employs 340,000 professional workers, mainly in the financial sector, making the area's transport system extremely busy during peak times. It is known as the richest square mile in the world.

The City is not one of the 32 London borough
London borough

The administrative area of Greater London contains thirty-two London boroughs. Inner London comprises twelve of these boroughs plus the City of London....
s. It is governed by the City of London Corporation, which has some unusual responsibilities for a local authority, such as being the police authority for the City. It also has responsibilities and ownerships beyond the City's boundaries.

The Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 motto of the City of London is "Domine dirige nos", which translates as "Lord, guide us".

Extent

The City of London is England's smallest ceremonial county
Ceremonial counties of England

The ceremonial counties are areas of England that are appointed a Lord Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as the Counties for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Act 1997 with reference to the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England and Lieutenancies Act 1997....
 by both population and area covered and is the second smallest British city
City status in the United Kingdom

City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarchy to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city"....
 in both population and size, after St David's
St David's

St David's is the smallest City status in the United Kingdom in the United Kingdom, with a population of under 2,000 people. It lies on the River Alun, on Saint David's peninsula in Pembrokeshire, Wales....
 in Wales
Wales

native_name = Cymru|conventional_long_name = Wales|common_name = Wales|image_flag = Flag of Wales 2.svg|national_motto = ...
.

Changes over time

The size of the City was constrained by a defensive perimeter wall, known as London Wall
London Wall

London Wall was the defensive wall built by the Ancient Romes around Roman London, their strategically important port town on the River Thames in England....
, which was built by the Romans
Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the Roman Republic phase of the Ancient Rome, characterised by an autocracy form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
 in the late 2nd century to protect their strategic port city. However, the boundaries of the City of London are no longer the old city wall as the City has expanded its jurisdiction slightly over time. During the medieval era, the City's jurisdiction expanded westwards along Fleet Street
Fleet Street

Fleet Street is a street in London, England named after the River Fleet. It was the home of the List of newspapers in the United Kingdom until the 1980s....
 to Temple Bar
Temple Bar, London

Temple Bar is the barrier marking the westernmost extent of the City of London on the road to City of Westminster, where Fleet Street becomes the Strand, London....
 and also took in the other "City bars" such as at Holborn, Aldersgate, Bishopsgate and Aldgate. These were the important entrances to the City and their control was vital in maintaining the City's special privileges over certain trades.

The walls have disappeared, although several sections remain visible. A section near the Museum of London
Museum of London

The Museum of London documents the history of London from the Prehistoric to the present day. The museum is located close to the Barbican Centre, and a few minutes walk north of St Paul's Cathedral, overlooking the remains of the Roman city wall and on the edge of the oldest part of London, known as the City of London, now the financial distr...
 was revealed after the devastation of an air-raid on 29 December 1940 at the height of the Blitz
The Blitz

The Blitz was the sustained bombing of United Kingdom by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, in World War II. While the "Blitz" hit many towns and cities across the country, it began with the bombing of London for 57 consecutive nights ....
. Other visible sections are at St Alphage
Saint Alphage

Saint Alphage has several meanings:* "St Alphage", the parish church of Burnt Oak in the northwest London, England* St Alphage London Wall, the remains of a church originally built in 1532 adjacent to a remaining section of the London Wall...
, and there are two sections near the Tower of London
Tower of London

Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London , is a historic monument in central London, England, on the north bank of the River Thames....
.

The boundary of the City remained fixed until boundary changes in 1993, when it expanded slightly to the west, north and east, taking small parcels of land from the London Boroughs of Westminster
City of Westminster

The City of Westminster is a London borough of London with City status in the United Kingdom. It is located west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, and forms part of Inner London and the bulk of London's central area....
, Camden
London Borough of Camden

The London Borough of Camden is a London borough of London, England, which forms part of Inner London. The southern reaches of Camden form part of Central London....
, Islington
London Borough of Islington

The London Borough of Islington is a London borough in North London and Inner London. It was formed in 1965 by merging the former Metropolitan Borough of Metropolitan Borough of Islington and Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury....
, Hackney
London Borough of Hackney

The London Borough of Hackney is a London borough in East London, and forms part of inner London and North London....
 and Tower Hamlets
London Borough of Tower Hamlets

The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London borough to the east of the City of London, England and north of the River Thames in East London, England, taking in much of the East End of London....
. The 1993 boundary changes were done primarily to tidy up the boundary in places where the urban landscape had changed so dramatically that the old boundary was meaningless. In the process the City lost small parcels of land, though there was an overall net gain of land. Most notably, the changes placed the (then recently developed) Broadgate estate
Broadgate

Broadgate is a large, office and retail estate in the City of London, owned by British Land and managed by Broadgate Estates. The original developer was Rosehaugh: it was built by a Lend Lease Corporation / Tarmac Construction joint venture and was the largest office development in London until the arrival of Canary Wharf in the early 19...
 entirely in the City.

Southwark
Southwark

Southwark, or the Borough, is an area of south-east London in the London Borough of Southwark, situated 1.5 miles east of Charing Cross....
, to the south of the City on the other side of the Thames
River Thames

The Thames is a major river flowing through southern England. While best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows through several other towns and cities, including Oxford, Reading, Berkshire and Windsor, Berkshire....
, came within the City between 1550 and 1899 as the Ward of Bridge Without. Today it forms part of the London Borough of Southwark
London Borough of Southwark

The London Borough of Southwark is a London borough in south east London, England. It is directly south of the River Thames and the City of London, and forms part of Inner London....
. The Tower of London
Tower of London

Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London , is a historic monument in central London, England, on the north bank of the River Thames....
 has always been outside the City and today comes under Tower Hamlets.

Today's boundary

Beginning in the west, where the City borders Westminster, the border cuts across the Victoria Embankment
Victoria Embankment

The Victoria Embankment, is part of the Thames Embankment, a road and walkway along the north bank of the River Thames in London. Victoria Embankment extends from the City of Westminster into the City of London....
 from the Thames, passing to the west of Middle Temple
Middle Temple

The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn....
, then going east along Strand
Strand, London

The Strand is a street in the City of Westminster, London, England. It currently starts at Trafalgar Square and runs east to join Fleet Street at Temple Bar London, which marks the boundary of the City of London at this point, though its #History has been longer than this....
 and Fleet Street
Fleet Street

Fleet Street is a street in London, England named after the River Fleet. It was the home of the List of newspapers in the United Kingdom until the 1980s....
, north up Chancery Lane
Chancery Lane

Chancery Lane is the street which has been the western boundary of the City of London since 1994 having previously been divided between Westminster and Camden....
, where it becomes instead the border with Camden. It continues north to Holborn
Holborn

Holborn is an area of Central London, England. Holborn is also the name of the area's principal east-west street, running from St Giles's High Street as High Holborn to Gray's Inn Road to Holborn Viaduct, crossing the borders of the City of Westminster, London Borough of Camden and the City of London....
, turns east, continues to Holborn Circus, and then goes northeast to Charterhouse Street
Charterhouse Street

Charterhouse Street is a street in Smithfield, London, on the northern boundary of the City of London. It connects Charterhouse Square and Holborn Circus, crossing Farringdon Road and running along a number of historical buildings, including Smithfield, London and the historical headquarters of the Port of London Authority....
. As it crosses Farringdon Road
Farringdon Road

File:Farringdon Road.jpgFarringdon Road is a road in Clerkenwell, Central London. Its construction, which took almost 20 years between the 1840s and the 1860s, is considered one of the greatest urban engineering achievements of the nineteenth century....
 it becomes the border with Islington. It continues to Aldersgate
Aldersgate

Aldersgate was a City gate in the London Wall in the City of London, which has given its name to a ward and Aldersgate Street, a road leading north from the site of the gate, towards Clerkenwell in the London Borough of Islington....
, goes north, and turns east into some back streets soon after Aldersgate becomes Goswell Road. Here, at Baltic Street West, is the most northerly extent of the City. The border includes all of the Barbican Estate
Barbican Estate

The 'Barbican Estate' is a residential estate in the City of London, in an area densely packed with commerce and finance. It also contains, or is adjacent to, the Barbican Arts Centre, the Museum of London, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Barbican public library, the City of London School for Girls and a YMCA, forming the Barb...
 and ends up on Ropemaker Street which, as it continues east past Moorgate
Moorgate

Moorgate was a postern in the London Wall originally built by the Romans. It was turned into a gate in the 15th century. Though the gate was demolished in 1762, the name survives as a major street in the City of London....
, becomes South Place. It goes north, becomes the border with Hackney, then east, north, east on back streets, with Worship Street as the most northerly extent before the border turns south at Norton Folgate
Norton Folgate

Norton Folgate is a short length of street in London, connecting Bishopsgate with Shoreditch High Street on the northern edge of its financial district, the City of London....
 and becomes the border with Tower Hamlets. It continues south into Bishopsgate
Bishopsgate

Bishopsgate is a road and Wards of the United Kingdom in the east part of the City of London, extending north from Gracechurch Street to Norton Folgate....
, and takes some backstreets to Middlesex Street where it continues south-east then south. It makes a divergence to the west at the end of Middlesex Street to allow the Tower of London
Tower of London

Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London , is a historic monument in central London, England, on the north bank of the River Thames....
 to be in Tower Hamlets, and then reaches the river.

The City's boundary runs down the centre of the Thames, though the City controls the full spans of London Bridge
London Bridge

London Bridge is a bridge between the City of London and Southwark in London, England, over the River Thames. Situated between Cannon Street Railway Bridge and Tower Bridge, it forms the western end of the Pool of London....
 and Blackfriars Bridge
Blackfriars Bridge

Blackfriars Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge over the River Thames in London, between Waterloo Bridge and Blackfriars Railway Bridge, carrying the A201 road....
 but only half of the river underneath them, a feature which is highly unusual in British local administration. The boundaries of the City are marked by black bollards bearing the City's emblem, and at major entrances, such as at Temple Bar
Temple Bar, London

Temple Bar is the barrier marking the westernmost extent of the City of London on the road to City of Westminster, where Fleet Street becomes the Strand, London....
 on Fleet Street, a grander monument, with a dragon facing outwards, marks the boundary.



Temple Bar Griffin
In some places the financial district extends slightly beyond the political boundaries of the City, notably to the north and east, into the London Boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Islington, and informally these locations are seen as part of the "Square Mile". Since the 1990s the eastern fringe of the City, extending into Hackney and Tower Hamlets, has increasingly been a focus for large office developments due to the availability of large sites there compared to within the City.

History

The City of London has been administered separately since 886, when Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great

Alfred the Great , also spelled ?lfred, was king of the southern Anglo-Saxons kingdom of Wessex from 871 to 899. Alfred is noted for his defence of the kingdom against the Danish people Vikings, becoming the only English people king to be awarded the epithet "the Great"....
 appointed his son-in-law Earl Æthelred of Mercia
Earl Aethelred of Mercia

Ealdorman ?thelred was a ruler of Mercia . His title was "Lord of the Mercians", and although he retained many attributes of a king, he was subject to the power of his close ally Wessex....
 as Governor of London. Alfred made sure that there was suitable accommodation for merchants from northwest Europe, which was then extended to traders from the Baltic
Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea is a brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53?N to 66?N latitude and from 20?E to 26?E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Denmark islands....
 and Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
.

The City developed its own code of law for the mercantile classes, developing such autonomy that Sir Laurence Gomme
Laurence Gomme

Sir Laurence Gomme, Society of Antiquaries of London#Membership was a public servant and leading British folklorist. He helped found both the Victoria County History and the Folklore Society....
 regarded the City as a separate Kingdom making its own laws. The City was composed of wards governed by Aldermen
Alderman

An alderman is a member of a Municipal government assembly or council in many jurisdictions. Historically the term could also refer to local municipal judges in small legal proceedings ....
, who chaired the Wardmotes. There was a folkmoot
Folkmoot

In Anglo-Saxon England, a folkmoot or folkmote was a governing general assembly consisting of all the free members of a tribe, community or district....
 for the whole of the city held in the shadows of St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral

St Paul's Cathedral is the Anglicanism cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, and the seat of the Bishop of London. The present building dates from the 17th century and is generally reckoned to be London's fifth St Paul's Cathedral, although the number is higher if every major medieval reconstruction is counted as a new cathedr...
. In the tenth century, Athelstan permitted eight mints
Royal Mint

The Royal Mint of the United Kingdom is the body permitted to manufacture, or mint , Coins of the pound sterling in the United Kingdom. The Mint originated over 1,100 years ago, but has functioned since 1975 as a Trading Fund, operating in much the same way as a government-owned company....
 to be established, compared with six in his capital, Winchester, indicating the wealth of the city.

Following the Battle of Hastings
Battle of Hastings

The Battle of Hastings was the decisive Normans victory in the Norman Conquest of England. It was fought between the Norman army of William I of England, and the English people army led by Harold Godwinson....
, William the Conqueror
William I of England

William I , better known as William the Conqueror , was Duke of Normandy from 1035 and English monarchy from later 1066 to his death. William is sometimes also referred to as "William II" in relation to his position as the second Duke of Normandy of that name....
 marched on London, to Southwark
Southwark

Southwark, or the Borough, is an area of south-east London in the London Borough of Southwark, situated 1.5 miles east of Charing Cross....
 and failed to get across London Bridge or to defeat the Londoners. He eventually crossed the River Thames at Wallingford
Wallingford

Wallingford is a small market town and civil parish in the upper Thames Valley in Oxfordshire, England....
, pillaging the land as he went. Rather than continuing the war Edgar Ætheling, Edwin of Mercia
Edwin, Earl of Mercia

Edwin was the elder brother of Morcar, Earl of Northumbria, son of ?lfgar, Earl of Mercia and grandson of Leofric, Earl of Mercia. He succeeded to his father's title and responsibilities on ?lfgar's death in 1062....
 and Morcar of Northumbria surrendered at Berkhamsted
Berkhamsted

Berkhamsted is a historic town which is situated in the west of Hertfordshire, between the towns of Tring and Hemel Hempstead. It is in the administrative district of Dacorum....
. William rewarded London in granting the citizens a charter in 1075; the City of London was one of the few institutions where the English retained some authority.

William ensured against attack by building three castles nearby, to keep the Londoners subdued:

  • Tower of London
    Tower of London

    Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London , is a historic monument in central London, England, on the north bank of the River Thames....
  • Baynard's Castle
    Baynard's Castle

    Baynard's Castle in London was at various times a castle, house and palace. It existed on the same site, in the south-west corner of the City of London, for 600 years from the time of the Norman Conquest until the Great Fire of London....
  • Montfichet's Castle
    Montfichet's Castle

    The fortress known as Montfichet's Castle in the City of London was built in c. 1070 to the north-west of Baynard's Castle by Gilbert de Monfichet, a native of Rouen, and relative to William I of England....
 
Templechurch Exterior
In 1132, Henry I
Henry I of England

Henry I was the fourth son of William I the Conqueror. He succeeded his elder brother William II of England as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106....
 recognised full County
County corporate

A county corporate or corporate county was a form of local government in England, Ireland and Wales.Counties corporate were created during the Middle Ages, and were effectively small self-governing county....
 status for the City, and by 1141 the whole body of the citizenry was considered to constitute a single community. This was the origin of the City of London Corporation.

The City burned nearly to the ground twice, first in 1212 and then again (and more famously) in the Great Fire of London
Great Fire of London

The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of London, England, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666....
 in 1666. Both of these fires were referred to as the Great Fire.

The City elected four members to the unreformed House of Commons
Unreformed House of Commons

The unreformed House of Commons is the name generally given to the British House of Commons as it existed before the Reform Act 1832.Until the Act of Union 1707 of 1707 joining the Kingdoms of Kingdom of Scotland and Kingdom of England , Scotland had its own Parliament of Scotland, and the term refers to the English House of Commons...
, which it retained after the Reform Act 1832
Reform Act 1832

The Representation of the People Act 1832, commonly known as the Reform Act 1832, was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland....
 and into the 20th century. Today it is included wholly in the Cities of London and Westminster constituency, and statute requires that it not be divided between two neighbouring areas. An attempt was made in 1894 to amalgamate the City and the surrounding County of London
Royal Commission on the Amalgamation of the City and County of London

The Royal Commission on the Amalgamation of the City and County of London was a Royal Commission which considered the means for amalgamating the ancient City of London with the County of London, which had been created in 1889....
, but it did not succeed.

The City's population fell rapidly in the 19th century and through most of the 20th century as people moved outwards to London's vast suburbs
Metro-land

Metro-land is the suburban areas that were built to the north west of London in the counties of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Middlesex in the early part of the 20th century, and were served by the Metropolitan Railway, an independent company until absorbed by the London Passenger Transport Board in 1933....
 and many houses were demolished to make way for modern office blocks. The largest residential section of the City today is the Barbican Estate
Barbican Estate

The 'Barbican Estate' is a residential estate in the City of London, in an area densely packed with commerce and finance. It also contains, or is adjacent to, the Barbican Arts Centre, the Museum of London, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Barbican public library, the City of London School for Girls and a YMCA, forming the Barb...
, constructed between 1965 and 1976. Here a major proportion of the City's population now live. The Museum of London
Museum of London

The Museum of London documents the history of London from the Prehistoric to the present day. The museum is located close to the Barbican Centre, and a few minutes walk north of St Paul's Cathedral, overlooking the remains of the Roman city wall and on the edge of the oldest part of London, known as the City of London, now the financial distr...
 is located here, as are a number of other services provided by the Corporation.

The 1970s saw the construction of tall office buildings including the 600ft, 42-storey Natwest Tower, which became the first skyscraper
Skyscraper

A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building. There is no official definition nor height above which a building may clearly be classified as a skyscraper....
 in the UK. Office space development has intensified especially in the central, northern and eastern parts of the City, with a second (30 St Mary Axe
30 St Mary Axe

30 St Mary Axe, also known as the Gherkin and formerly the Swiss Re Building, is a skyscraper in London main financial district, the City of London, completed in December 2003 and opened on 28 April 2004....
) and most recently a third skyscraper (Broadgate Tower
Broadgate Tower

The Broadgate Tower is a skyscraper in London main financial district, the City of London, UK. It was constructed from 2005 to 2009 and is currently the third tallest building in the City of London....
) being built.

Present day developments

The trend for purely office development is beginning to reverse as the Corporation encourages residential use, although the resident population is not expected to exceed 10,000 people. Some of the extra accommodation is in small pre-World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
 commercial buildings, which are not suitable for occupation by the large companies which now provide much of the City's employment.

Since the 1990s, the City has diversified away from near exclusive office use in other ways. For example, several hotels have opened and the City's first department store
Department store

A department store is a retail establishment which specializes in selling a wide range of products without a single predominant Merchandise#Product_line....
. A shopping mall is being built at New Change, near St Paul's Cathedral. However, large sections of the City remain very quiet at weekends, especially those areas in the eastern section of the City, and it is quite common to find pub
Public house

A public house, the formal name for a pub in Britain, is a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic beverage for consumption on or off the premises in countries and regions of United Kingdom influence....
s and cafes closed on these days.

A number of skyscraper
Skyscraper

A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building. There is no official definition nor height above which a building may clearly be classified as a skyscraper....
s have been built in recent years in the City of London and further skyscrapers are either under construction or planned to be built soon. These include:

  • Bishopsgate Tower
    Bishopsgate Tower

    The Bishopsgate Tower, also known as The Pinnacle and The Helter-Skelter, is a 288-metre , 63-story skyscraper currently under construction in the centre of London's main financial district, the City of London....
     - 63 floors, 288 metres, under construction.
  • Heron Tower
    Heron Tower

    Heron Tower, also referred to as 110 Bishopsgate, is a skyscraper currently under construction in the centre of London main financial district, the City of London....
     - 47 floors, 246 metres, under construction and rising.
  • The Leadenhall Building
    122 Leadenhall Street

    122 Leadenhall Street was an office building on Leadenhall Street in the City of London, England. It was owned by the developer British Land and was designed by Gollins Melvin Ward Partnership....
     - 48 floors, 225 metres, began construction but now on hold.
  • 100 Bishopsgate
    100 Bishopsgate

    100 Bishopsgate is a skyscraper approved for construction in the center of London's main financial district, the City of London.It will stand in a prominent location on Bishopsgate, just a short walk from Liverpool Street station....
     - 40 floors, 165 metres, site is being prepared with construction planned to start in 2011.
  • The Walkie Talkie Tower
    20 Fenchurch Street

    20 Fenchurch Street was a large office building in the City of London.* Status = Demolished* Floors = 34* Opened = 1968* Demolished = 2008...
     - 36 floors, 160 metres, site is being prepared with construction planned to start in 2009.


Population

Year Population Notes
1631 111,605 (of which 71,029 within the walls)
1700 208,000 (of which 139,000 within the walls) estimate
1750 144,000 (of which 87,000 within the walls) estimate
1801 128,129 census figure
1821 124,137 census figure
1841 123,563 census figure
1861 112,063 census figure
1881 50,569 census figure
1901 26,846 census figure
1911 19,657 census figure
1921 13,709 census figure
1931 10,999 census figure
1951 5,324 census figure
1961 4,767 census figure
1971 4,234 census figure
1981 6,700 mid-year estimate1
1991 5,400 mid-year estimate
2001 7,400 mid-year estimate
2004 8,600 mid-year estimate
2006 7,800 mid-year estimate)
1. not strictly comparable with the 1971 figure


Financial industry

Paternoster Square
The City houses the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange

The London Stock Exchange or LSE is a stock exchange located in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1801, it is one of the largest stock exchanges in the world, with many overseas listings as well as British companies....
 (shares and bonds
Bonds

Bonds can refer to any of several things:*Companies :**Bonds an Australian clothing company**A department store in Norwich, England, formerly called Bonds: see John Lewis Norwich John Lewis Partnership...
), Lloyd's of London
Lloyd's of London

Lloyd's, also known as Lloyd's of London, is a United Kingdom insurance market. It serves as a meeting place where multiple financial backers or ?members?, whether individuals or corporations, come together to pool and spread risk....
 (insurance
Insurance

Insurance, in law and economics, is a form of risk management primarily used to Hedge against the risk of a contingent loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for a premium, and can be thought of as a guaranteed small loss to prevent a large, possibly devastating los...
) and the Bank of England
Bank of England

The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and is the model on which most modern, large central banks have been based. Since 1946 it has been a Nationalisation institution....
. The Docklands began development in the 1980s as an alternative financial centre for London and is now home to the Financial Services Authority
Financial Services Authority

The Financial Services Authority is an independent non-governmental body, quasi-judicial body and a company limited by guarantee that regulates the financial services industry in the United Kingdom....
, as well as important financial institutions such as Credit Suisse
Credit Suisse

The Credit Suisse Group is a financial services company, headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. Credit Suisse was founded by Alfred Escher in 1856 under the name Schweizerische Kreditanstalt ....
, Barclays Bank, Bank of America
Bank of America

Bank of America Corporation , based in Charlotte, North Carolina, is the largest financial services company in the world, largest bank by assets, second largest commercial bank by deposits, and third largest by market capitalization in the United States....
, Citigroup
Citigroup

Citigroup Inc., doing business as Citi, is a major United States financial services company based in New York City. Citigroup was formed from one of the world's largest mergers in history by combining the banking giant Citicorp and financial conglomerate Travelers Group on April 7, 1998....
 and HSBC. There are over 500 banks
Banks

Banks is the plural of bank, a financial institution; see bank for other uses and...
 with offices in the City and Docklands, with established leads in areas such as Eurobonds, foreign exchange
Foreign exchange

Foreign exchange may refer to:* Exchanging money in one currency for another, traded on foreign exchange markets* retail forex platform, a trading platform...
 markets, energy
Energy

In physics, energy is a scalar physical quantity that describes the amount of Work_ that can be performed by a force. Energy is an attribute of objects and systems that is subject to a conservation law....
 futures
Futures

Futures may mean:...
 and global insurance. The Alternative Investments Market has been a growth market over the past decade, allowing London to also expand as an international equity
Equity

Equity is the name given to the set of law principles, in jurisdictions following the English law common law tradition, which supplement strict rules of law where their application would operate harshly, so as to achieve what is sometimes referred to as "natural justice"....
 centre for smaller firms.

Since 1991 Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf

Canary Wharf is a large business and shopping development in East London, located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, centred on the old West India Docks in the London Docklands....
 a few miles east of the City in Tower Hamlets, has become a second centre for London's financial services industry and now houses banks and other institutions formerly located in the Square Mile. However, fears that the City would be damaged by this development appear to have been unfounded with growth occurring in both locations. Canary Wharf may have been of great service to the Square Mile by providing large floorplate office buildings at a time when this was difficult within the City boundary, and therefore preventing companies such as HSBC from relocating abroad.
London
*Big Bang (financial markets)
Big Bang (financial markets)

The phrase Big Bang, used in reference to the sudden deregulation of financial markets, was coined to describe measures including the abolition of the distinction between stockjobbers and Stock Broker on the London Stock Exchange by the United Kingdom government in 1986....
  • The Wimbledon Effect


Local government

London Guildhall Corp of London
Mansion
The City of London has a unique political status (sui generis
Sui generis

Sui generis is a Neo-Latin expression, literally meaning of its own kind/genus or unique in its characteristics. The expression was effectively created by Scholasticism philosophy to indicate an idea, an entity or a reality that cannot be included in a wider concept....
), a legacy of its uninterrupted integrity as a corporate city since the Anglo Saxon
Heptarchy

Heptarchy is a collective name applied to the supposed seven Anglo-Saxons kingdoms of south, east, and central Great Britain during late antiquity and the early Middle Ages which eventually unified into England ....
 period and its singular relationship with the Crown
British monarchy

The Monarchy of the United Kingdom is the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom and its British overseas territory.The present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, has reigned since 6 February 1952....
. Historically its system of government was not unusual, but it was not reformed by the Municipal Reform Act 1835 and little changed by later reforms.

It is administered by the City of London Corporation, headed by the Lord Mayor of London (not the same as the more recently created position of Mayor of London). The City is a ceremonial county
Ceremonial counties of England

The ceremonial counties are areas of England that are appointed a Lord Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as the Counties for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Act 1997 with reference to the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England and Lieutenancies Act 1997....
, although it has a Commission, headed by the Lord Mayor, instead of a Lord-Lieutenant.

The City contains two independent enclaves, Inner Temple
Inner Temple

The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple is one of the four Inns of Court around the Royal Courts of Justice in London which may call members to the Bar association and so entitle them to practise as barristers....
 and Middle Temple
Middle Temple

The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn....
. These form part of the City and ceremonial county, but are not governed by the City of London Corporation. The Corporation governs the rest of the City and is responsible for a number of functions and owns a number of locations beyond the City's boundaries.

The City is made up of 25 Wards which have recently had their boundaries changed, though the number of wards and their names have not changed.

Elections

The City has a unique electoral system. Most of its voters are representatives of businesses and other bodies that occupy premises in the City. Its ancient wards have very unequal numbers of voters.

The principal justification for the non-resident vote is that about 450,000 non-residents constitute the city's day-time population and use most of its services, far outnumbering the City's residents, who are fewer than 10,000. Nevertheless, the system has long been the cause of controversy. The business vote was abolished in all other UK
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 local authority elections in 1969.

A private act of Parliament in 2002 reformed the voting system for electing Members to the Corporation of London and received the Royal Assent
Royal Assent

The granting of Royal Assent is the formal method by which a constitutional monarchy completes the legislative process of lawmaking by formally assenting to an Act of Parliament....
 on 7 November 2002. Under the new system, the number of non-resident voters has doubled from 16,000 to 32,000. Previously disfranchised firms (and other organizations) are entitled to nominate voters, in addition to those already represented, and all such bodies are now required to choose their voters in a representative fashion.

Bodies employing fewer than ten people may appoint one voter; those employing ten to 50 people may appoint one voter for every five employees; those employing more than 50 people may appoint ten voters and one additional voter for each 50 employees beyond the first 50.

The Act also removed other anomalies that had developed within the City's system, which had been unchanged since the 1850s.

Proposals for further change

The present system is widely seen as undemocratic, but adopting a more conventional system would place the 7,800 residents of the City in control of the local planning and other functions of a major financial capital that provides most of its services to hundreds of thousands of non-residents.

Proposals to annex the City to one of the neighbouring London borough
London borough

The administrative area of Greater London contains thirty-two London boroughs. Inner London comprises twelve of these boroughs plus the City of London....
s, possibly the City of Westminster
City of Westminster

The City of Westminster is a London borough of London with City status in the United Kingdom. It is located west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, and forms part of Inner London and the bulk of London's central area....
, have not widely been taken seriously. One proposal floated as a possible reform is to allow those who work in the City to each have a direct individual vote, rather than businesses being represented by appointed voters.

In May 2006 the Lord Chancellor
Lord Chancellor

The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom....
 stated to Parliament that the government was minded to examine the issue of City elections at a later date, probably after 2009, in order to assess how the new system has bedded down.

Other functions

Flag of the City of London
The Corporation owns and is responsible for a number of locations beyond the boundaries of the City. These include various open spaces
Corporation of London open spaces

The City of London Corporation owns and maintains open space in and around Greater London. They have mainly been acquired since 1878, when two Act of Parliament entrusted the management of Epping Forest and several other areas within a 25 mile radius to the Corporation: these areas laid the foundation for the Green Belt in the 20th century....
 (parks, forests and commons) in and around London, including most of Epping Forest
Epping Forest

Epping Forest is an area of ancient woodland in south-east England, straddling the border between north-east Greater London and Essex. It is managed by the City of London Corporation....
 and Hampstead Heath
Hampstead Heath

Hampstead Heath is London's largest ancient parkland covering . This grassy public space sits astride a sandy ridge, one of the List of highest points in London, running from Hampstead to Highgate, which rests on a band of London clay The Heath is rambling and hilly, embracing ponds, recent and ancient woodlands, a lido, playgrounds, a train...
. Within the City, the Corporation owns and runs the Smithfield Market, but it also owns Old Spitalfields Market
Old Spitalfields market

Old Spitalfields Market is a covered market in Spitalfields, just outside the City of London. The existing buildings were built in 1887 to service a wholesale market, owned by the City of London Corporation....
 and Billingsgate Fish Market
Billingsgate Fish Market

Situated now in East London, Billingsgate Fish Market is the United Kingdom's largest inland fish market. It takes its name from Billingsgate, a ward in the south-east of the City of London, where the riverside market was originally established....
, both of which are within the neighbouring London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The Corporation also owns and helps fund the Old Bailey
Old Bailey

The Central Criminal Court in England, commonly known as the Old Bailey, is a court building in central London, one of a number housing the Crown Court....
 criminal court, despite its use as a central criminal court for England and Wales
England and Wales

England and Wales is a legal unit within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom....
.

The City has its own independent police force, the City of London Police
City of London Police

The City of London Police is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the City of London, England, including the Middle Temple and Inner Temple....
 - the Corporation is the police authority. The rest of Greater London is policed by the Metropolitan Police Service
Metropolitan Police Service

The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within Greater London, excluding the City of London which is the responsibility of a City of London Police....
, based at New Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard

New Scotland Yard is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service, responsible for law enforcement within Greater London, excluding the City of London, which is covered by the City of London Police....
.

The City of London has one hospital, St Bartholomew's Hospital
St Bartholomew's Hospital

St Bartholomew's Hospital, also known as Barts, is a hospital in Smithfield, London in the City of London, England....
. Founded in 1123 and fondly known as 'Barts', the hospital is at Smithfield
Smithfield, London

Smithfield is an area in the north-west part of the City of London, mostly known for its centuries-old meat market and its bloody history of executions of heretics and political opponents....
, and is about to undergo a much-publicised and controversial but long-awaited regeneration.

The City is a major patron of the arts. It oversees the Barbican Centre
Barbican Centre

Barbican Centre is the largest performing arts center in Europe. Located in the north of the City of London, England, in the heart of the Barbican Estate, the Centre hosts classical music and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhibitions....
 and subsidises several important performing arts companies.

The Port of London
Port of London

The Port of London lies along the banks of the River Thames from London, England to the North Sea. Once the largest port in the World, in recent years it has been United Kingdom's second or third largest port....
's health authority is also the responsibility of the Corporation, which includes the handling of imported cargo at London Heathrow airport. The Corporation oversees the running of the Bridge House Trust, which maintains five key bridges in central London, including London Bridge
London Bridge

London Bridge is a bridge between the City of London and Southwark in London, England, over the River Thames. Situated between Cannon Street Railway Bridge and Tower Bridge, it forms the western end of the Pool of London....
 and Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge is a combined bascule bridge and suspension bridge in London, England, over the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, which gives it its name....
. The City's flag
Flag of the City of London

The Flag of the City of London is based on the Flag of England, having a centred red St George's Cross on a white background, with the red sword in the upper hoist Flag terminology ....
 flies over Tower Bridge..

Education

The City has only one directly maintained primary school, Sir John Cass's Foundation Primary School at Aldgate
Aldgate

Aldgate was the easternmost gateway through London Wall leading from the City of London to Whitechapel and the East End of London. Aldgate gives its name to a ward of the City....
 (ages 4 to 11). It is a voluntary-aided Church of England
Church of England

The Church of England is the State religion Christianity Ecclesia in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the oldest among the communion's thirty-eight independent national and regional churches....
 school, maintained by the Education Service of the City of London.

City residents may send their children to schools in neighbouring Local Education Authorities
Local Education Authority

A Local Education Authority is the part of a local government in the United Kingdom, or local authority , in England and Wales that is responsible for education within that council's jurisdiction....
, such as Islington
London Borough of Islington

The London Borough of Islington is a London borough in North London and Inner London. It was formed in 1965 by merging the former Metropolitan Borough of Metropolitan Borough of Islington and Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury....
, Tower Hamlets
London Borough of Tower Hamlets

The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London borough to the east of the City of London, England and north of the River Thames in East London, England, taking in much of the East End of London....
, Westminster
City of Westminster

The City of Westminster is a London borough of London with City status in the United Kingdom. It is located west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, and forms part of Inner London and the bulk of London's central area....
 and Southwark
London Borough of Southwark

The London Borough of Southwark is a London borough in south east London, England. It is directly south of the River Thames and the City of London, and forms part of Inner London....
.

The City controls three very well regarded independent schools, City of London School
City of London School

The City of London School is a boys' independent school on the banks of the River Thames in the City of London. It is the brother school of the City of London School for Girls and of the co-educational City of London Freemen's School ....
 (boys) and City of London School for Girls
City of London School for Girls

City of London School for Girls is a girls' independent school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. It is sister school of the City of London School and the City of London Freemen's School ....
 (girls) which are in the City itself, and the City of London Freemen's School
City of London Freemen's School

City of London Freemen's School is a public school, day and boarding located at Ashtead Park in Surrey, England. It is the sister school of the City of London School and the City of London School for Girls, both independent single-sex schools located within the City of London itself....
 (co-educational day and boarding) which is in Ashtead
Ashtead

Ashtead is a large village situated within the Green belt of Surrey, England, and is part of the suburbia of London. It is separated from Leatherhead by the M25 motorway, and from Epsom by Ashtead Common....
, Surrey
Surrey

Surrey is a counties of England in the South East England of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, and Berkshire....
. The City of London School for Girls has its own preparatory department for entrance at age seven.

The City is also home to the renowned Cass Business School, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama

Guildhall School of Music and Drama is an independent music school and drama school which was founded in 1880 in London, England.It is a well known conservatoire and one of the leading music and drama institutions in the world....
 and parts of three of the universities in London: The Maughan Library
The Maughan Library

The Maughan Library and Information Services Centre is a 19th Century Gothic Revival architecture building located on Chancery Lane in the City of London....
, which serves King's College London's Strand Campus
King's College London

King's College London is a United Kingdom higher education institution and co-founding constituent college of the University of London. Founded by George IV of the United Kingdom and the Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington in 1829, its royal charter is predated, in England, only by those of the Universities of University of Oxford and Un...
, and the business school of London Metropolitan University
London Metropolitan University

The London Metropolitan University, located in London, England, was formed on 1 August 2002 by the amalgamation of London Guildhall University and the University of North London....
. A third business school in the City is a campus of the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business
University of Chicago Graduate School of Business

The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, formerly known as "The University of Chicago Graduate School of Business" and "Chicago GSB", is one of the leading business schools in the world, the second oldest in the United States, the first to offer the Executive MBA program, and the first to initiate a PhD program in Busi...
. The London School of Economics
London School of Economics

The London School of Economics and Political Science, more commonly referred to as The London School of Economics or LSE, is a specialist college of the University of London in London, England....
 is just outside the City, in Westminster adjacent to Temple Bar
Temple Bar

Temple Bar may refer to:* Temple Bar, London, a spot in London* Temple Bar, Dublin, a cultural quarter in Dublin city* Temple Bar, Wales in Ceredigion...
. The College of Law
The College of Law

The College of Law of England and Wales is a private educational institution in England which provides legal education for students and professionals....
 (Moorgate).

Public libraries

City of London-operated libraries include Barbican Library, Camomile Street Library, City Business Library, Guildhall Library, and Shoe Lane Library.

Gardens

Gardens are maintained by the Corporation within the City. These range from formal gardens such as the one in Finsbury Circus
Finsbury Circus

Finsbury Circus is the oldest and largest public park and an elliptical square in the City of London, England. It has an immaculately maintained Lawn Bowls club in the centre....
, containing a bowling green and bandstand, to churchyards such as one belonging to the church of St Olave Hart Street
St Olave Hart Street

St Olave Hart Street is an Anglican church in the City of London, located on the corner of Hart Street and Seething Lane near Fenchurch Street railway station....
, entered from Seething Lane.

Gardens include:
  • Barber-Surgeon's Hall Garden - London Wall
  • Cleary Garden - Queen Victoria Street
    Queen Victoria Street

    Queen Victoria Street may refer to one of the following:*Queen Victoria Street, Fremantle*Queen Victoria Street, Hong Kong*Queen Victoria Street, Leeds...
  • Finsbury Circus
    Finsbury Circus

    Finsbury Circus is the oldest and largest public park and an elliptical square in the City of London, England. It has an immaculately maintained Lawn Bowls club in the centre....
     - Blomfield Street or London Wall or Moorgate
    Moorgate

    Moorgate was a postern in the London Wall originally built by the Romans. It was turned into a gate in the 15th century. Though the gate was demolished in 1762, the name survives as a major street in the City of London....
  • Jubilee Garden - Houndsditch
    Houndsditch

    Houndsditch is a street in the City of London that connects Bishopsgate in the north west to Aldgate in the south east.The modern street runs through a part of the Portsoken Ward and Bishopsgate Ward Without....
  • Portsoken Street Garden - Portsoken Street or Goodman's Yard
  • Postman's Park
    Postman's Park

    Postman's Park is a small green memorial garden in the City of London. It is located between King Edward Street, Little Britain and Angel Street....
     - Aldersgate
    Aldersgate

    Aldersgate was a City gate in the London Wall in the City of London, which has given its name to a ward and Aldersgate Street, a road leading north from the site of the gate, towards Clerkenwell in the London Borough of Islington....
     or King Edward Street
    King Edward Street

    King Edward Street is a street running between the High Street, Oxford to the north and Oriel Square to the south in central Oxford, England....
  • Seething Lane Garden - Seething Lane
  • St Dunstan-in-the-East
    St Dunstan-in-the-East

    St Dunstan-in-the-East was an Anglican church located on St Dunstan's Hill, half way between London Bridge and the Tower of London in the City of London....
     - St Dunstan's Hill or Idol Lane
  • St Mary Aldermanbury
    St Mary Aldermanbury

    St Mary Aldermanbury church in the City of London, is first mentioned in 1181 but was destroyed by the Great fire of London in 1666. Rebuilt in Portland stone by Sir Christopher Wren, it was again gutted by the Blitz in 1940, leaving only the walls....
     - Aldermanbury
  • the churchyard of St Olave Hart Street
    St Olave Hart Street

    St Olave Hart Street is an Anglican church in the City of London, located on the corner of Hart Street and Seething Lane near Fenchurch Street railway station....
     - Seething Lane
  • St Paul's Churchyard - St Paul's Cathedral
    St Paul's Cathedral

    St Paul's Cathedral is the Anglicanism cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, and the seat of the Bishop of London. The present building dates from the 17th century and is generally reckoned to be London's fifth St Paul's Cathedral, although the number is higher if every major medieval reconstruction is counted as a new cathedr...
  • West Smithfield Garden - West Smithfield
    Smithfield, London

    Smithfield is an area in the north-west part of the City of London, mostly known for its centuries-old meat market and its bloody history of executions of heretics and political opponents....
  • Whittington Gardens - College Street or Upper Thames Street


Security

The City's position as the United Kingdom's financial centre and a critical part of the country's economy, contributing about 2.5% of the UK's gross national product, has resulted in it becoming a target for political violence. The Provisional IRA exploded several bomb
Bomb

A bomb is any of a range of explosive devices that typically rely on the exothermic chemical reaction of an explosive material to produce an extremely sudden and violent release of energy....
s in the City in the early 1990s, including the 1993 Bishopsgate bombing
1993 Bishopsgate bombing

The Bishopsgate bombing occurred on 24 April 1993, when the Provisional Irish Republican Army detonated a truck bomb in London financial district in Bishopsgate, City of London, England....
.

The area is also spoken of as a possible target for al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda

Al-Qaeda, alternatively spelled al-Qaida and sometimes al-Qa'ida, is an international Sunni Islam Islamist Extremism movement founded sometime between August 1988 and late 1989/early 1990....
. For instance, when in May 2004 the BBC's Panorama
Panorama (TV series)

Panorama is the longest-running current affairs documentary film series in the world. Launched on 11 November 1953 on BBC One, it focuses on investigative journalism....
 programme examined the preparedness of Britain's emergency services for a terrorist attack on the scale of September 11, 2001 attacks, they simulated a chemical explosion on Bishopsgate
Bishopsgate

Bishopsgate is a road and Wards of the United Kingdom in the east part of the City of London, extending north from Gracechurch Street to Norton Folgate....
 in the east of the City.

See City of London's "Ring of Steel" for measures that have been taken against these threats.

London Fire Brigade


The City has many fire risks, including St Paul’s Cathedral, The Old Bailey, Mansion House, Smithfield Market, the Bank of England, the Guildhall, Tower 42 (formerly the NatWest Tower) and 30 St. Mary Axe (The Gherkin). There is one fire station within the City, at Dowgate, with one pumping appliance. The City relies upon stations in the surrounding London boroughs to support it at some incidents. Within the City the first fire engine is in attendance in roughly five minutes on average, the second when required in a little over five and a half minutes. 1,814 incidents were attended in the City in 2006/2007 - the lowest in Greater London amongst the 32 London boroughs. No one has died in an event arising from a fire in the City in the last four years prior to 2007.

Tallest buildings


Natwest
The tallest buildings in the City:

Rank Name Built Use Height Floors Location
metres feet
1 Tower 42
Tower 42

Tower 42 is the tallest skyscraper in the City of London and the List of tallest buildings and structures in London as a whole. It was originally built for the National Westminster Bank , hence its former name, the NatWest Tower....
 		 1980 Office 183 600 42 City of London
City of London

The City of London is a geographically small city status in the United Kingdom within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which, along with Westminster, the modern conurbation grew....
2 30 St Mary Axe
30 St Mary Axe

30 St Mary Axe, also known as the Gherkin and formerly the Swiss Re Building, is a skyscraper in London main financial district, the City of London, completed in December 2003 and opened on 28 April 2004....
 ("The Gherkin")		 2003 Office 180 590 40 City of London
City of London

The City of London is a geographically small city status in the United Kingdom within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which, along with Westminster, the modern conurbation grew....
3 Broadgate Tower
Broadgate Tower

The Broadgate Tower is a skyscraper in London main financial district, the City of London, UK. It was constructed from 2005 to 2009 and is currently the third tallest building in the City of London....
 		 2008 Office 164 538 35 City of London
City of London

The City of London is a geographically small city status in the United Kingdom within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which, along with Westminster, the modern conurbation grew....
4 CityPoint
CityPoint

CityPoint is a skyscraper on Ropemaker Street on the northern fringe of the City of London.It was built in 1967 as a 35-storey, tall headquarters for BP ....
 		 1967 Office 127 417 36 City of London
City of London

The City of London is a geographically small city status in the United Kingdom within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which, along with Westminster, the modern conurbation grew....
5 Willis Building
Willis Building (London)

The Willis Building at 51 Lime Street, London, is a large office tower in London's main financial district, the City of London.Designed by architect Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank and developed by British Land, it stands opposite the Lloyd's building and is tall, with 26 storeys....
 		 2007 Office 125 410 26 City of London
City of London

The City of London is a geographically small city status in the United Kingdom within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which, along with Westminster, the modern conurbation grew....
6 Aviva Tower
Aviva Tower

St Helen's is a skyscraper in the City of London. It is tall and has 23 floors, as well as podium and mezzanine levels. It was completed in 1969....
 		 1969 Office 118 387 28 City of London
City of London

The City of London is a geographically small city status in the United Kingdom within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which, along with Westminster, the modern conurbation grew....
7 99 Bishopsgate
99 Bishopsgate

99 Bishopsgate is a skyscraper in the City of London. It is tall and has 25 office floors, with a total net letable floor space of circa . There are a further three plant floors at levels LG, 14 and 27....
 		 1976 Office 104 340 26 City of London
City of London

The City of London is a geographically small city status in the United Kingdom within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which, along with Westminster, the modern conurbation grew....
8 Stock Exchange Tower
Stock Exchange Tower

The Stock Exchange Tower is a high-rise building located in the City of London at 125 Old Broad Street. Standing at tall, with 26 floors, the tower was completed in 1970 and opened by Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in 1972....
 		 1970 Office 103 339 27 City of London
City of London

The City of London is a geographically small city status in the United Kingdom within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which, along with Westminster, the modern conurbation grew....


Buildings over 150 metres either under construction or proposed:

Name Height Floors Location Status
metres feet
The Pinnacle
Bishopsgate Tower

The Bishopsgate Tower, also known as The Pinnacle and The Helter-Skelter, is a 288-metre , 63-story skyscraper currently under construction in the centre of London's main financial district, the City of London....
 ("Helter Skelter")		 288 945 63 City of London
City of London

The City of London is a geographically small city status in the United Kingdom within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which, along with Westminster, the modern conurbation grew....
 		Under Construction
Heron Tower
Heron Tower

Heron Tower, also referred to as 110 Bishopsgate, is a skyscraper currently under construction in the centre of London main financial district, the City of London....
 246 806 47 City of London
City of London

The City of London is a geographically small city status in the United Kingdom within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which, along with Westminster, the modern conurbation grew....
 		Under Construction
The Leadenhall Building
122 Leadenhall Street

122 Leadenhall Street was an office building on Leadenhall Street in the City of London, England. It was owned by the developer British Land and was designed by Gollins Melvin Ward Partnership....
 ("Cheesegrater")		 225 737 48 City of London
City of London

The City of London is a geographically small city status in the United Kingdom within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which, along with Westminster, the modern conurbation grew....
 		 Under Construction
100 Bishopsgate
100 Bishopsgate

100 Bishopsgate is a skyscraper approved for construction in the center of London's main financial district, the City of London.It will stand in a prominent location on Bishopsgate, just a short walk from Liverpool Street station....
 165 542 39 City of London
City of London

The City of London is a geographically small city status in the United Kingdom within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which, along with Westminster, the modern conurbation grew....
 		Approved
20 Fenchurch Street
20 Fenchurch Street

20 Fenchurch Street was a large office building in the City of London.* Status = Demolished* Floors = 34* Opened = 1968* Demolished = 2008...
 ("Walkie Talkie")		 160 525 39 City of London
City of London

The City of London is a geographically small city status in the United Kingdom within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which, along with Westminster, the modern conurbation grew....
 		 Under Construction


Twin cities

Flag Country Town
Algeria
Algeria

Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country located in North Africa. It is the largest country of the Mediterranean sea, second largest in the Arab World, and the second largest on the African continent and the eleventh-largest country in the world in terms of land area....
 Algiers
Algiers

Algiers Nicknamed El-Bahdja or Alger la Blanche for the glistening white of its buildings as seen rising up from the sea, Algiers is situated on the west side of a bay of the Mediterranean Sea....
Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 Hamburg
Hamburg

Hamburg is the second-largest city in Germany , and is the Largest cities of the European Union by population within city limits. The city is home to approximately 1.8 million people, while the Hamburg metropolitan area has more than 4.3 million inhabitants....
India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
 Mumbai
Mumbai

Mumbai— formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The city proper has approximately 14 million people and, along with the neighbouring suburbs of Navi Mumbai and Thane, Mumbai forms the World's largest urban agglomerations according to the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects report with around 19...
India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
 New Delhi
New Delhi

New Delhi is the capital city of India. With a total area of 42.7 km2, New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi and serves as the seat of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi ....


External links

Official websites
  • - the City's local government website


Geographical information
  • City of London Corporation:
  • -
  • — the boundary is shown in mauve-grey, and is easiest to pick up in the river. Click the arrow on the left for the western and northern parts of the City


Local information