The Aldgate neighbourhood is a unique sliver of The City of London. Although it’s filled with high rise office towers and business professionals rushing through the streets, its superb location - just beneath Shoreditch and next to Whitechapel - gives it a more interesting edge and easy access to the fun of East London. For young professionals rushing out of their finance jobs, many will wander over to one of the hip pubs and bars, like The Alchemist, before heading home via Aldgate Station. While the area might not be full of locals like some of the more residential parts of London, the corporate energy draws many in - even those who might not work in the area. Whether you’re looking to catch the view from the top of the iconic Gherkin building, or tour one of the historical church landmarks, like Holy Trinity Priory, it’s hard to avoid the area.

The Church of St Katharine Cree sits just on the inner edges of the neighbourhood. Founded in the 13th century, the building eventually had to be reconstructed in 1630. Despite having been slightly damaged in the Great Fire of 1666, the church is still standing and is now listed as a Grade I building. Still, it’s been through quite a lot. WWII brought its own share of damage to the church and later on in 1992; the Baltic Exchange bomb destroyed one of the 17th century east windows. By 2003, parts of the church were in need of repair. Possibly the most famous part of the church that underwent refurbishment was the 17th century organ. This organ was originally played by Handel himself!

When building the iconic Gherkin office building, the grave of a young Roman girl was found on the construction site. In an effort to recognise the site’s history, the grave was re-buried and given a plaque after the building’s completion.

Since the area mainly caters to those rushing in and out of the many tall office buildings in the neighbourhood, it can feel lacking in community spirit. However, for those that do choose to live in the area, the convenient transport connections surely make it all worth it.

With its prime location, there is never a shortage of development going on in the Aldgate neighbourhood. Sitting at the edge of the City, most of these buildings tend to cater to office based tenants. Yet Aldgate is also a doorway to the more residential neighbourhoods of Whitechapel, Shadwell and Shoreditch meaning many new schemes are incorporating residential accommodation. For example, the second phase of the Aldgate Place neighbourhood development is underway and set to complete in 2024. With 19,000 sqft of offices, 8,000 sqft of retail floorspace, and 159 new homes, this development will push the architecture of the city ever closer to the east end. Meanwhile, looking slightly more centrally, Unite Students has just completed a new private student accommodation building capable of housing upwards of 1,000 young scholars.