This cluster of historic and modern buildings in the City of London is scattered around a triangle bounded by Queen Victoria Street, Cannon Street, and King William Street. Closer to Cannon Street, the Walbrook Building by Foster and Partners (architects of 30 St Mary Axe – the Gherkin) occupies the centre-stage. Its 380,000 sq-ft of office space is encased in high performance cladding designed to stay cool in the summer and retain heat in the winter. Directly west of this, though not strictly within this neighbourhood area, are the new European Bloomberg headquarters, also designed by Foster and Partners. The Church of St Stephen’s Walbrook has been described by the art historian Nikolaus Pevsner as one of the ten most important buildings in England. A Christopher Wren church, St Stephen was considered the architect’s prototype for St Paul’s Cathedral. Mansion House is the grandiose official residence of the Lord Mayor of London – not to be confused with the Mayor of London. The Palladian style building hosts the meetings of the City of London Corporation, as well as fundraising and business events of various organisations. The Don Restaurant in the narrow St Swithin’s Lane is a local favourite. Serving modern European cuisine, it is housed in a former Sandeman Port warehouse. The building is listed for its medieval subterranean cellar.

The area is centred around a pedestrianised street named Walbrook which also gives its name to the ward in which the area lies. As might be inferred, there used to be a river flowing through the location which has now become subterranean. In fact, the brook would have contributed to the Roman’s decision to build their settlement here, where they would have had a supply of freshwater and where their waste could flow into the River Thames. Excavations after WWII revealed that, indeed, the Roman temple to Mithras – the Mithraeum – is situated just west of what is now the street Walbrook. It is possible to see the restored ruins at Bloomberg SPACE. The Mansion House was completed in 1758 as a solution to the Lord Mayor’s lodgings after the Great Fire left many of the guilds without their liveries. Construction was completed in 1758 by George Dance the Elder and throughout the years the building’s function has transformed, even hosting prisoners there while it served as the Lord Mayor’s Court.

While Sir Chritopher Wren was appointed chief architect of fifty-one new churches following the Great Fire of 1666, the former scientist and mathematician lived at 15 Walbrook. Wren was born in Wiltshire and educated at Westminster School, before matriculating at Oxford. Wren’s talent was noticed early and before long he was professor of astronomy at Oxford. After being commissioned to design the Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford and then a chapel for Pembroke College in Cambridge, Wren devoted himself fully to architecture. While the fire of 1666 was a devastating tragedy for the capital, it is arguably what made Wren go down in history. For his work, he was knighted in 1673. After his death in 1723, his gravestone at St Paul’s Cathedral was inscribed with the words: “If you seek his memorial, look about you.”

Bank Station – one of the principal ways to access the area, together with Cannon Street and Monument – has been voted Londoners’ least favourite station. Over the ten years that demand has risen by 50 percent, there has been no additional capacity provided by TfL (see next section).

By far the most anticipated development in the area is the ongoing Bank Station’s overhaul. This project consists of a new entrance on Cannon Street and an expanded Northern Line platform with step free access via a new concourse. 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.