Houndsditch

Houndsditch is a street in the City of London that connects Bishopsgate in the north west to Aldgate in the south east. The modern street runs through a part of the Portsoken Ward and Bishopsgate Ward Without. The street marks the route of the old ditch running outside a part of London Wall.

History

A ditch was first constructed outside the City Wall by the Romans, but became filled in and obliterated. The Danes under Cnut the Great also constructed a town ditch in order to control access to the city.[1] The ditch was redug in 1211 as a part of the defences, and was then about 75 feet (23 m) in width. The City authorities found it a continual problem to scour and clean the ditch, as many of the adjacent houses found it convenient to dispose of filth and refuse in it. In 1595, levelling the ground was first considered,[2] although the street running alongside the ditch had first been paved in 1503. The name Houndsditche first appears in the 13th century, and appears to relate to the quantity of rubbish and dead dogs thrown in the ditch;[3] previously it seems to have been referred to only by the appellation The Ditch. Several dog skeletons were unearthed at Houndsditch in 1989.[4]

Notable sites

Approaching Bishopsgate, the modern office blocks do not occupy the full building plots, leaving some small areas empty. These were historically the sites of Plague pits.

Traffic flows one-way southeastward from Bishopsgate down the modern Houndsditch, which continues forward into St. Botolph Street, connecting to Aldgate High Street or Whitechapel High Street. The street is home to a number of bars and offices, including the Heron Tower, the tallest building in the City of London.

The nearest London Underground station is Aldgate and the closest mainline railway station is Liverpool Street.

See also

• Houndsditch murders

References