This neighbourhood almost perfectly splits into an old intimate Georgian and Victorian district, with narrow lanes and small, brick terrace buildings to the west of Addle Hill and Dean’s Court, and the newer, larger builds east of this line, and which surround St. Paul’s Cathedral, a lone survivor of the Blitz. The newer builds largely complement the Victorian architecture and feel of the area, and do not jut out of the sky owing to St. Paul Cathedral’s protected views. The old western sector has a plethora of street-level stores, including pubs and convenience stores, and is closer to the Blackfriars and Ludgate Hill areas, with a range of food options as well as being connected to the historical fabric of the area leading up to Farringdon. The eastern sector, on the other hand, is made up of hotels, hostels and offices; though it is not devoid of pedestrian traffic either, with the St. Paul’s-facing Sermon Lane leading onto Peter’s Hill, which in turn leads on to Millennium Bridge. A few eateries are located here as well, but the area is more for passing rather than lingering traffic.

The old district is predominantly lined with 19th century warehouses along intimate streets. The warehouses represent the City’s growing mercantile power in the 19th century when the population started to fall as commercial activities increased. Unlike other parts of the City, here the plots were older, and the buildings generally retained their former sizes, hence the modest nature of the neighbourhood. By the end of the 19th century, most of the area consisted of warehouses supporting printing and clothing industries; a legacy which endured into the mid-20th-century, as evidenced by Playhouse Yard, a former printing factory which dates to that era.

James Burbage was an entrepreneur, believed to be from Stratford-upon-Avon, who made large profits staging plays in Inn-yards. He was responsible for opening the Globe as well as the Theatre at Shoreditch (supposedly the very first theatre) and bought Blackfriars Theatre (which stood on the site of Playhouse Yard) outright for £600. Uniquely, he decided to switch to acting as well at some point in his career – unusual because actors were considered as little more than vagabonds during the Elizabethan era.

The former Blackfriars Theatre itself had two iterations – the first was smaller and staged plays by boy actors from 1576 to 1584. It was the most important indoor theatre in London during the Jacobean and Caroline periods. Shakespeare’s company switched between playing indoors at Blackfriars during the winter, and outdoors at the nearby Globe Theatre during the summer.

The hostels located to the east of the neighbourhood and the pubs and bars to the west means that the area is prone to noise during the evening hours; however, it doesn’t suffer so much from the hordes of tourists (though they are certainly close by), owing to the relative seclusion of the Blackfriars area – most of the foot traffic is channelled south through Millennium Bridge. Furthermore, the area generally consists of office buildings, meaning that it has life at any time of day.

There are not many developments occurring in the area, owing to the conservation area status of its western portion, as well as the protected views of St. Paul’s Cathedral. For example, The Paternoster Square development was the result of a long bureaucratic saga. Plans were originally conceived after the war, changing numerous times following alterations to the neighbourhood such as the construction of the Millennium Bridge. Given the pace these developments took, it is unlikely that any new project would rapidly alter the area soon. There are nonetheless plans for a new mixed-use development slightly north of this postcode. 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.