The Heart of the City
This panel stands in the heart of the City of London near some of the most important financial and civic buildings in the capital. This is the part of London where over 350,000 people work by day, while there are a mere 5,000 residents by night. It was the heart of the original Roman settlement built on the north side of the Thames and later the centre of the medieval walled City of London, where men of wealth and power gradually organised themselves into guilds and companies.
Close to this panel is the Royal Exchange, which contains a new retail development, Mansion House, the official home of the Lord Mayor of London during his year in office, and the Bank of England, founded in 1604 as a private company and now exercising the functions of a state bank.
This is an important intersection in the Jubilee Walkway. The original route was extended from the Tower of London, via King William Street, passing St Paul's Cathedral on the south side and eventually reaching Leicester Square. In addition to the main walkway circuit, one can also branch off at this point to walk the Barbican Loop which proceeds up to the Barbican and back past the Museum of London, rejoining the Walkway at the north side of St Paul's Cathedral.
A map of the Jubilee Walkway can be seen on the opposite
face of this panel.
The Iron Duke
The Duke of Wellington is best known as the commander of the forces which defeated Napoleon at the battle of Waterloo in 1815. This statue, by Sir Francis Chantry, was cast from cannons captured from the french in that battle and was erected in 1844.
Mansion House
Designed by George Dance the Elder, Mansion House is one of the grandest surviving Georgian town palaces in London, with magnificent interiors contaonimg elaborate plasterwork and carved timber ornament. Mansion House is a purpose-built home for the lord Mayor of London. Since it was first occupied in 1752 it has provided not only living and working space for the lord Mayor and his household, but also space for large ceremonial entertainments and banquets.
Number 1 Poultry
This building was designed by Sir James Stirling and completed in 1998. It was commissioned by Lord Palumbo, who wanted to create a work of outstanding modern architecture in the City. The site was formerly occupied by a series of historic Edwardian buildings including that of Mappin and Webb.
Bank Headquarters
This building was completed in 1932 as Westminster Bank, it was designed by Sir Edwin Cooper.
Bank of England
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom. Sometimes known as "The Old Lady of
Threadneedle Street", the Bank was established on this site in 1734. From 1788, the building was extended based on designs by Sir John Soane, culminating in the encirclement of the site with a windowless wall in 1828. This wall forms the perimiter of the building today.
Unveiled by
The Lady Soames, DBE
8th July 2003
This panel has been updated to celebrate
the Golden Jubileee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2002
The Jubilee Walkway, developed and administered by a special Trust was established to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1977. It encircles the centre of London, embracing many historic buildings and views. It is approximately 22.4kma (14 miles) in length. For map suppliers see www.jubileewalkway.com.
Follow the Walkway on foot around London, using the circular Jubilee Walkway discs embedded in the ground. The pavement discs along the Jubilee Walkway are normally silver, but the discs near this spot are gilt as a special feature to record that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited this section of the Walkway during her Golden Jubileee Year.
This panel has been supported by the Corporation of London and The Mercers' Company.
The Corporation of London has a diverse range of roles and responsibilities in the City, London and beyond. Through the Court of Common Council it provides local government services for the City, from development control to trading standards, making the City a cleaner, safer, more attractive place in which to live, work, run a business or to visit.
Comments 0 comments