| Ward of Cornhill | |
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Ward of Cornhill
Ward of Cornhill shown within Greater London |
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| OS grid reference | TQ327811 |
|---|---|
| Sui generis | City of London |
| Administrative area | Greater London |
| Region | London |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | EC3 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | City of London |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| EU Parliament | London |
| UK Parliament | Cities of London and Westminster |
| London Assembly | City and East |
| List of places: UK • England • London | |
Cornhill is a ward and one of the principal streets in the City of London, the historic nucleus of modern London.
The hill from which it takes its name is one of the three ancient hills of London; the others are Tower Hill, site of the Tower of London, and Ludgate Hill, crowned by St Paul's Cathedral. The highest point of Cornhill is at 17.7 metres (58 ft) above sea level.[1]
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Cornhill is one of the traditional divisions of the City. The street contains two of the City churches designed by Sir Christopher Wren: St. Michael, Cornhill, on the site of the Roman forum of Londinium, and St Peter upon Cornhill, reputed to occupy the oldest Christianised site in London. At its other end it joins Threadneedle Street, Poultry, King William Street and Lombard Street. Sir Thomas Gresham's original Royal Exchange fronted onto Cornhill, but its successor on the site, designed by William Tite, faces towards the Bank of England across the junction with Threadneedle Street.
The "Standard" near the junction of Cornhill and Leadenhall Street was the first mechanically pumped public water supply in London, constructed in 1582 on the site of earlier hand-pumped wells and gravity-fed conduits. The mechanism, a force pump driven by a water wheel under the northernmost arch of London Bridge, transferred water from the Thames through lead pipes to four outlets. The service was discontinued in 1603.[2][3] This became the mark from which many distances to and from London were measured and the name still appears on older mileposts (but see also the nearby London Stone and St. Mary-le-Bow church).
In 1652, Pasqua Rosée, a native of Ragusa, Italy, opened the first London coffeehouse, in St. Michael's Alley, Cornhill. The publishers Smith, Elder and Co, based at 65 Cornhill, published the popular literary journal Cornhill Magazine (1860–1975) as well as the "Dictionary of National Biography". The magazine was first edited by William Makepeace Thackeray.
In Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Bob Cratchit slides down Cornhill 20 times in honour of it being Christmas Eve.
Today, the street is commonly associated with opticians and makers of optical apparatus such as microscopes and telescopes. A statue of the engineer James Henry Greathead was erected in 1994 outside the Royal Exchange, which lies within the ward. Underneath the pavement is the world's first public toilet, also the world's first underground public toilet, which opened in 1855. Users were charged a standard fee of 1d, giving rise to the saying to "spend a penny".
The marathon route of the 2012 Summer Olympics will pass along Cornhill.[4]
Cornhill is one of 25 wards in the City of London, and each elects an Alderman to the Court of Aldermen, and Commoners (the City equivalent of a councillor) to the Court of Common Council of the City of London Corporation. Only electors who are Freeman of the City of London are eligible to stand.
The current Alderman is Sir David Howard (3rd Baronet), the 673rd Lord Mayor of London and the current Members of Common Council are Reverend Stephen Haines (deputy) and Peter Dunphy.
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