This neighbourhood area contains part of Liverpool Street station, running along the western edge of Bishopsgate. Passengers at the station can enjoy a range of shopping outlets like T. M. Lewin and Lush. Bars and restaurants are plentiful in this area as well: Piccolino serves classic Italian food, as does Eataly, while the Botanist offers a contemporary British cuisine and a basement club in the early hours. 135 Bishopsgate exemplifies the grandiose architecture of the area; forming the outermost part of the renowned Broadgate Estate, this emerald complex was designed by Bruce Graham. Chic bars in Shoreditch such as Vagabond and the Queen of Hoxton, are a short walk away making this a popular destination for young professionals on a Friday night. You can naturally expect masses of people to pass through the area during peak travel times as Liverpool Street is one of the city’s best connected stations.

The City of London part of the area lies in the ward of Bishopsgate – called thus due to one of eight gates forming part of the defensive London Wall having been positioned at the intersection of Wormwood Street and Bishopsgate, just south of the area. The original train station initially made use of Bishopsgate station in neighbouring Shoreditch, but with an increasing flow of commuters making their way into the capital, a new station had to be built. When trains started running in 1874, the station was not yet completed. When it was finally unveiled, the windows and the wrought iron gave rise to the station’s nickname – the ‘dark cathedral’. During WWII, thousands of Jewish children arrived here on the Kindertransport. The Arrival, a statue outside the station of children with suitcases by Frank Meisler, honours this period of time at Liverpool Street.

Today the station is a mishmash of efforts to preserve some of its historic elements while changing and adapting to the demands of modern transport. Another piece of fascinating history in the south of this locale is embodied by St Botolph’s Orthodox church. Originally a thirteenth century construction, this was one of four churches – the others can be found close by – dedicated to St Botolph. The church is peculiar for having survived the re of 1666 and also for hosting a female hermit in 1413.

Charles Barry Jr is the architect responsible for designing the Great Eastern Hotel, just next to the train station. He is the son of the acclaimed architect Charles Barry who, in the first half of the 19th century, rebuilt the Houses of Parliament. Charles Jr continued the family occupation together with his younger brother Edward Middleton Barry. The family is credited with much of the design behind buildings in the suburb of Dulwich, including the New College. Charles Jr designed the hotel on Liverpool Street with the high life in mind, when it first openned guests could bathe in fresh sea water, brought in specially from the coast.

Among the four railway stations included on the British Monopoly board game is Liverpool Street Station, together with Kings Cross, Marylebone and Fenchurch Street. Prior to the days of the ‘dark cathedral’ – from the thirteenth to the seventeenth century, to be exact – there stood a hospital treating mentally ill patients, known as the Priory of St Mary of Bethlehem. A plaque hangs inside the current station in its honour. Bethlem Royal Hospital – the priory’s legacy – is currently situated in Beckenham.

Transformation of the so-called ‘dark cathedral’ has been spoken about since the 1970s. However, with the Elizabeth line now open, plans are in motion to renew the old grade-II listed building. The Elizabeth line means that locals now find themselves just six minutes from Canary Wharf in the East, with direct links to Heathrow and the Thames Valley commuter belt in the west. The influx of traffic that this brought prompted the new £1.5 billion investment into the station. Designed by the Sellar design collective, this project will revamp the whole station, providing new retail, leisure and dining destinations, as well as a 16-storey tower block built by Herzon & de Meuron. The fact that such a development sits in the shadow of surrounding buildings speaks to the interest developers have in the area. One Bishopsgate Plaza for example, was completed in 2021 and sits at 47 storeys tall directly opposite the station.