Lothbury

"North and West Front of the Bank of England, from Lothbury", 1828.[1]

Lothbury is a short street in the City of London. It runs east-west with traffic flow in both directions, from Gresham Street's junction with Moorgate to the west, and Bartholomew Lane's junction with Throgmorton Street to the east.

History

The area was populated with coppersmiths in the Middle Ages before later becoming home to a number of merchants and bankers. Lothbury borders the Bank of England on the building's northern side, and some of Sir John Soane's work dating from 1788 can still be seen there today. Opposite the Bank is the Christopher Wren church St Margaret Lothbury.

Lothbury was the location of the Whalebone Tavern, the meeting place for the radical Leveller movement in the mid 17th-century.[2]

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Great Northern & City Railway planned an underground railway station at Lothbury, but this was abandoned because of financial constraints. Today the nearest London Underground station is Bank, a short way to the south. The nearest mainline railway station is Liverpool Street, with National Rail services towards East Anglia.

Buildings

41 Lothbury is a particularly noteworthy office building, designed by architects Mewes and Davis, with interior columns, marble walls and floor. It was for many years the head office of National Westminster Bank. The Grade II* listed building was completed in 1932 and replaced a 19th-century building designed by Charles Robert Cockerell.

Having retired as Governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King was made a life peer and now has the title Baron King of Lothbury.

Coordinates: 51°30′53″N 0°5′22″W / 51.51472°N 0.08944°W / 51.51472; -0.08944

References

  1. ↑ "North and West Front of the Bank of England, from Lothbury", Shepherd, Metropolitan Improvements, 1828, p.211.
  2. ↑ John Rees (25 October 2016). The Leveller's Revolution. Verso Books. p. 56. ISBN 978-1-78478-388-4.


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