This neighbourhood stretches from St. Paul to Poultry down Cheapside, which is the dominant feature of the area. St. Martin’s-le-Grand and New Change run north-to-south along the neighbourhood’s western boundary, while Cheapside cuts through the centre in an east-west fashion. St. Paul’s Cathedral lies just outside, and is visible throughout the area. Cheapside is home to several stores – from eateries to bank branches and other retail outlets. Above street level most buildings serve office functions. One New Change dominates the southern side of Cheapside; a multi-storied shopping centre, it also has a free viewing deck on the roof, which provides astounding views of St. Paul’s Cathedral as well as the rest of London. The area is primarily comprised of post-war office buildings, having been badly damaged during the Blitz.

Cheapside was the City of London’s main shopping street for most of its history; it’s trades are evident from the names of its side streets such as Wood Street, Bread Street, Honey Lane, Milk Street and so on. Cheapside derives its name not from the word cheap, but rather ‘chepe’, the Saxon word for market. An extremely old street dating back to Roman times, its alignment followed an easy bridging point for the River Walbrook, today underground. The street in the late-12th century was more like an elongated marketplace – up to 62 feet wide but with narrow exits at either end. It was only after the Great Fire of 166 that the bottlenecks were removed and a continuous link with Poultry formed.

Bread Street was the birthplace to two poets, both named John – John Donne and John Milton, born 1572 and 1608 respectively. John Donne was amongst the ‘leading metaphysical poets of the Renaissance’, with works from sermons to sonnets. John Milton, on the other hand, was born into a middle-class family, and went to Christ’s Church College, Cambridge. While studying privately, he wrote a number of poems, such as ‘On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity’ and ‘On Shakespeare’, and toured France and Italy for 13 months, meeting many famous intellectuals such as Galileo (who appears in his work on censorship). He served as a secretary for foreign languages for Cromwell’s government after the Civil War, writing many pamphlets on radical topics. He was arrested after Charles II was restored to the throne, though later released – it was then he wrote his famous masterpiece Paradise Lost, in 1667.

St. Mary-le-Bow church lies to the end of the neighbourhood, and its bells are tightly bound to the culture and history of London. Dick Whittington allegedly heard the bells call him back to London to become Lord Mayor, and the supposed qualification to be a Cockney is to be born within the sound of Bow bells (it’s this Bow, not Bow Church). The bells used to dominate city life, with the 9pm bell signalling curfew and the end of the day for apprentices. The original tower and bells were destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666; though it was rebuilt, the bells were often not rung due to a shortage of ringers. The bells went through several versions, replacements, and interesting stories; the last time the bells were restored was after they were destroyed in 1941 by the Luftwaffe.

Cheapside is one of the busiest streets in the city, and while that brings amenities and a certain buzz, it also brings congestion. Fortunately, multiple bus routes ply the area, and St. Paul’s is mere minutes away. London Cannon Street and City Thameslink mainline stations are also a short walk away, adding to the connectivity of the area.

There is little in the way of planned future development on Cheapside, already being densely populated by luxury stores and offices. However, work is completing on renovation work at Bank station. 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. There are nonetheless plans for a new mixed-use development slightly north of St Paul’s. 81 Newgate Street is set for completion in 2025 and will provide 67,500m2 of flexible office space, retail and leisure spaces, publicly and privately accessible roof terraces and a rooftop restaurant.