Gresham Street runs parallel to Cheapside running from the Bank of England to just north of St Paul’s. To the west it borders St. Martin’s-Le-Grand, and to the east Guildhall. The postcode consists largely of post-war office blocks (most tastefully done in compliance with the surrounding building’s neoclassical style, with some postmodernist buildings). A notable exception to this is the Church of St. Alban, which stands in the middle of Wood Street as a typical medieval church.

London Wall was previously, well, the London Wall. The earliest Roman city, London (then Londinium) was surrounded by fortifications. The Roman wall was 4km long, originally including four gates, and was built with red stripes made of Roman tiles running through it. The Wall represents much of London’s history, from Boudicca’s attack to its strengthening, to its largely-abandoned and dilapidated condition after the Romans left, and subsequent revival as London grew as a trade city.

Amongst the many trials conducted at Guildhall was that of the architects of the Dudley Conspiracy of 1555. The conspirators hatched a plot to overthrow Queen Mary I. Sir Henry Dudley had appropriated nearly £50,000 from the Exchequer, to be smuggled to France, where Protestant exiles were residing. By 1556 the conspirators had hidden arms at strategic points, but they were arrested in the end, with the Queen ‘deeply troubled’ when she saw how far the treason ran, many of them with ties to Queen Elizabeth I. Many on the trial were later pardoned by Queen Elizabeth, though some went to the block.

Guildhall has been at the heart of City life for nearly a century, being the home to the City of London Corporation for over 800 years. The Lord Mayor once rivalled the monarch for influence and prestige, and to this day the Sovereign needs permission to enter the City of London. The current Guildhall was built between 1411 and 1440, although there was likely a previous Guildhall even before that. It miraculously survived the Great Fire of London, and represents London prior to the Fire. The Grade I-listed building has gone through and overseen trials and tribulations, however, from witnessing the trials of treason during the Reformation to having its roof razed during the Great Fire and later the Blitz.

Nearby, The Museum of London is moving away from its present site near the Barbican and London Wall. The museum itself will be rehoused in the historic halls of Smithfield Market expanding to accommodate its ever growing collection of curiosities from around the city. The cylindrical building which has housed the museum up until this point is set to be redeveloped. A new world class concert hall was set to take its place, however, spending cuts brought on by The Covid-19 pandemic saw this project cancelled. Elsewhere, renovation work at Bank station is currently being completed. New step free access will be provided to the DLR as well as an expanded Northern Line platform, while passengers can gain access via a new entrance on Cannon Street which will take up the ground floor of a new office development.