City of London

Understand

Although Greater London grew from this area, the official City of London itself has barely changed its borders in centuries and still follows the line of the old city walls to a great degree. The walls around the city, built by the Romans, have largely disappeared but several vestiges are still visible such as outside the old Museum of London, just near the Tower of London, and running part of the way down Noble Street. Various place names and streets hint at their prior existence, while locations such as Aldgate, Bishopsgate, Ludgate and Moorgate are the sites of old gates in the city walls.

The City of London is not a London borough (laws applying to London must define the city as "all London boroughs and the City of London") and has an ancient and unusual local governance, with rights and privileges greater than those of anywhere else in the United Kingdom. The local authority is the City of London Corporation and the chief position is the Lord Mayor. Whilst the rest of London has the Metropolitan Police, the City of London has its own police force. The City of London does not include Tower Bridge or the Tower of London – they are just over the border in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. However, Tower Bridge is owned and operated by the City Corporation and both are part of a standard sightseeing tour of the City. A number of bridges over the River Thames connect the City with Southwark and the two oldest of them, London Bridge and Blackfriars Bridge, are unusual in that the City of London's boundaries include the whole span of the bridge; the border otherwise runs along the middle of the Thames. Small statues of dragons or griffins, symbols of the City Corporation, mark the boundary of the City on several roads.

The City is the world's leading centre of international finance. In British parlance, the City often refers to the financial sector, just as Americans might refer to Wall Street. This area contains 255 foreign banks, which is more than any other fi

Getting there

From the airport Heathrow Airport has several connections: Heathrow Express, Elizabeth line and Piccadilly line. If you take Heathrow Express to London Paddington station, you can change tube lines there towards the City, or change the Elizabeth line, and get off at Liverpool Street to reach the City. You can also directly take Elizabeth line trains at the airport, which is cheaper but slower. If you take Piccadilly line, you can transfer to District line at stations east of Acton Town, or Central line at Holborn station for the City. Gatwick Airport has direct Thameslink service to City Thamslink and Blackfriars. Alternatively there are Southern Rail services to London Victoria. Victoria station has District and Circle line connections to Monument station. London City Airport is directly connected to Bank via the Docklands Light Railway (DLR). London Stansted Airport and London Southend Airport are directly connected to London Liverpool Street station, via Greater Anglia train services (and specificly, the Stansted Express serve Stansted Airport). London Luton Airport has direct Thameslink service to City Thameslink and Blackfriars, or you can take EMR (East Midlands Railway) services to St Pancras station, and change tube lines as an alternative way.

By tube The City of London has many Tube stops and stations, all part of Zone 1.

1 Bank CEN NOR W&C DLR and Monument CIR DIS stations – linked by an underground walkway. Bank, near the Bank of England, is perhaps the station closest to the centre of the City of London. 2 Barbican CIR H&C MET , 3 Moorgate CIR H&C NOR MET and 4 Liverpool Street CEN CIR H&C MET OGD ELI – for the north and north east of the City. 5 Old Street NOR – for the north west of the City. 6 St Paul's CEN – for the west of the City. 7 Blackfriars CIR DIS , 8 Mansion House CIR DIS 9 Cannon Street CIR DIS (closed Su), 10 Tower Hill CIR DIS (for Tower Bridge, the Tower of London and Fenchurch Street National

Getting around

As with the rest of central London, the City is served by a dense network of underground lines and bus routes. The tube lines that run through the City are the Central, Circle, District, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan and Northern Lines as well as the Docklands Light Railway. Bus route 15 has some of its route in the City. You can ride aboard a double-decker bus from the Tower of London, west to St Paul's Cathedral, and then down Ludgate Hill and Fleet Street towards the West End, where the route terminates at Trafalgar Square. This can be a very rewarding way to see the City, as the route passes a number of sites of interest. This service functions as a shorter version of the standard bus route 15 and the usual TfL fares are used on it. However, since the City is only around a square mile in area, it is often quicker, easier and cheaper to walk. The Thames Path passes through the City, following the River Thames from the Temple in the west to the Tower of London in the east. A particularly unique way to get around the City is the City of London Pedway Scheme. In the years following the Blitz, several pedestrian walkways were routed around the City to help reduce the number of pedestrians making crossings at grade with cars (though often to the benefit of the car, rather than the pedestrian). While the scheme was ended in the 1980s, many of the Pedways remain and provide an interesting perspective on the City.

See

The City sustained a great deal of damage from German bombing during the 'Blitz' of World War II, so there are far fewer older buildings than one might expect from so ancient a settlement. The Great Fire of London in 1666 also fairly comprehensively destroyed the City's medieval building stock. Nonetheless, many interesting older buildings remain, including the domed St. Paul's Cathedral (heroically saved by firefighters when it was bombed during the Second World War), 19th-century buildings at Leadenhall, Smithfield, and Spitalfields, the Gothic-style Guildhall, many monuments (including one built to remember the Great Fire of London), and the Temple Inns of Court. Remarkably, the City also retains its medieval street pattern, which you do not find so clearly preserved in other large British city centres. You will find many narrow streets, passages, alleys and courtyards between the main thoroughfares.

Landmarks

1 Bank of England (The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street) (tube: Bank W&C NOR CEN ). See also: Bank of England Museum. 2 Mansion House (tube: Mansion House CIR DIS ), ☏ +44 20 7397-9306. Tuesday 2PM only, groups may book at other times. Official residence of the Lord Mayor of the City of London, completed in 1753. £7. (updated Apr 2016) 3 Monument (tube: Monument CIR DIS ), ☏ +44 20 7626-2717, [email protected]. 9:30AM-5:30PM daily (last admission 5PM). Designed by Sir Christopher Wren, this tall column (which can be ascended to get a great view) marks the alleged site where the Great Fire of London broke out