The economic heart of the United Kingdom, this area is home to heavyweight institutions like the Bank of England, the Bank of China and the State Bank of India. Six roads intersect at a grand junction at the centre of which is Bank underground station, serviced by the Northern, Central, Waterloo, and City lines. The Docklands Light Railway (DLR), with numerous lines looking east, also terminates here. Threadneedle Street is one of the roads pertaining to this neighbourhood area, featuring some notable buildings like the Merchant Taylors’ Hall – occupying the site since 1347 and rebuilt after WWII, resulting in a continuum of architectural styles. Old Jewry, to the west of the junction, is a narrow lane with much historical significance; a Jewish ghetto during the medieval period, The Great Synagogue here stood in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The London branch of the oldest bank in the world – Berenberg – stands at 60 Threadneedle Street.

Cheapside, a road approaching Bank junction from the west, is an old market street dating back to the twelfth century. The lanes branching off from here reflect the different trades that took place nearby – Bread Street, Milk Street, Honey Lane. Jewellers assembled here throughout the middle ages as Cheapside became a hub for this luxury enterprise. Closer to the junction, the location of Old Jewry was where Jewish financiers lived for a few centuries before their expulsion from England in 1290. Up until this point, the wealthy families served the King by providing him with loans, in exchange for special treatment by the law throughout the Kingdom. Threadneedle Street was historically a centre for tailors – hence a possible explanation for the name of the road. As a result, the Bank of England is commonly referred to as the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street.

It is believed that Thomas Becket, made a saint in 1173, was born on Cheapside, close to Ironmonger Lane. Becket was born to a wealthy family around 1120. He became accomplice to Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury and completed a number of voyages to Rome on account of the archbishop. Word of his successes spread and Beckett grew close to the King, who made him his chancellor and then the archbishop upon the death of Theobald. When conflict between the crown and the church began to stir, relations between the new archbishop and the King began to sour. When Beckett would return from a period of exile in France, a group of knights took it upon themselves to brutally murder the archbishop at his own Canterbury Cathedral.

The first private performance of the British national anthem was given at the aforementioned Merchant Taylors’ Hall. The conductor was the renowned composer and organ builder of the time, John Bull.

The Bank of England’s peculiar alternative name, The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street, came from a satirical cartoon by James Gillray, dating back from the late eighteenth century. Three quarters of London’s gold reserves are stored beneath The Old Lady. This amounts to 5,000 tonnes of the precious metal.

There is significantly less variation in the architectural landscape in this particular segment of the city. Whilst there are clusters of 20th century developments, such as Broadgate, dotted around nearby, neo-classicism dominates this locale. Harriet, who works in one of the nearby buildings, explains that “most people here work in banking or accounting. Of course, it gets very busy at times but there’s also Finsbury Circus Gardens nearby which happen to be quite serene – great for the lunch break!”

Nearby, an entrance to the new Elizabeth Line has opened near Moorgate Station, above which stands at six storeys and contains 70,000 sqft of office space. Recent improvements have also been made to Bank Station itself including a new entrance on Cannon Street and an expanded Northern Line platform with step free access. Above this new Cannon Street entrance will also sit a new office block. Taller than originally planned, planners recently gave permission for TFL to add an eighth floor to their plans, with work scheduled to start by the end of 2022.