CITY OF LONDON
LLOYD’S OF LONDON BUILDING, EC3M
Designed by Richard Rogers Partnership and completed in 1986, the Lloyd’s of London building (1 Lime Street) is a masterpiece of High-Tech architecture, famously "inside-out" to maximize internal space. The building features external service ducts, lifts, and staircases, wrapped around a central 60-meter high, barrel-vaulted glass atrium. The structure is Grade I listed—the youngest to ever receive this status in 2011—highlighting its significance in modern design.It exemplifies the High Tech style in Britain, with its boldly expressed services and flexibility of plan throughout the impressive exterior and interior.
Internally, the vast, naturally lit underwriting room—known simply as "The Room"—is the hub of the insurance market, characterized by flexible, open floor plans and an intimate, bustling atmosphere. Suspended within the heart of this ground-floor space, on the rostrum, rests the historic Lutine Bell. Salvaged from the shipwreck of the HMS Lutine in 1799, the bell, hung in a mahogany frame designed by Edwin Cooper, is ceremonially rung to signal major shipping news, bridging the futuristic, stainless-steel-clad environment with the institution's 17th-century origins
Lloyd’s of London Building, 1 Lime Street , London EC3M 7HA
Lutine Bell, Lloyd’s of London Building, 1 Lime Street, London EC3M 7HA
30 ST. MARY AXE, EC3A
A commercial skyscraper previously known as the Swiss Re Building and informally known as the Gherkin, designed by Norman Foster and the Arup Group.
Construction started in 2001 and the building opened in 2004.
Seen here reflecting buildings on Bury Street.
30 St Mary Axe, London EC3A 8BF
GUILDHALL WEST WING, EC2V
The L-shaped wing to the west of Guildhall Yard was designed by Richard Gilbert Scott and constructed between 1969 – 75. It houses the City administration and a ground-floor library of books and manuscripts relating to the history and architecture of the capital.
The busy, textured quality achieved by the repetition of vertical fins echos the gothic form of the old Guildhall.
Guildhall West Wing, Aldermanbury, London EC2V 7HH
No. 1 POULTRY, EC2R
A speculative office and retail building designed in 1985-88 by James Stirling, Michael Wilford and Associates for Peter Palumbo’s City Acre Property Investment Trust Ltd, and built in 1994-8.
An unsurpassed example of commercial post-modernism, on a monumental scale, with its striped façade of pink and yellow limestone and cylindrical clock tower, bearing a whimsical resemblance to a toy ship.
Grade 2* Listed
1 Poultry, London EC2R 8EJ
BARBICAN ESTATE, EC2Y
Designed by architects Chamberlin, Powell and Bon, the Barbican Estate (1965–1976) is a masterpiece of British Brutalism, transforming a 40-acre, Blitz-ravaged site into a "city within a city". Its defining aesthetic is rugged, pick-hammered concrete, which gives the buildings a textured, stone-like appearance, contrasted by the sleekness of high-level pedestrian walkways (pedways) that totally separate residents from traffic
The structure comprises three 42-storey tower blocks, thirteen terrace blocks, and two mews, organized around a central axis of water features and green spaces. The architectural language blends heroic modernism with Roman, Mediterranean, and Scandinavian influences—notably in its elevated, tranquil "sky gardens" and the complex, interconnected Podium level—creating a dense yet inward-looking residential oasis in the City of London.
Gilbert House and Barbican Lake, London EC2Y 8BD
Ben Jonson House, Barbican, London EC2Y 8NQ
Bunyan Court, Barbican, London EC2Y 8AF
Defoe House (I) , Barbican, London EC2Y 8ND
Defoe House (II) , Barbican, London EC2Y 8ND
GOLDEN LANE ESTATE, EC1Y
The Golden Lane Estate (1952 – 1962) sits adjacent to the Barbican Estate. Designed by Chamberlin, Powell and Bon the now Grade II listed estate contains 559 homes, of which 385 flats are flats and 174 are maisonettes. About half are now in private ownership, and half remain as social housing owned by the City of London.
The dominating feature is Great Arthur House, the only tower block in the estate, which is roughly in the centre and makes a bold statement with its overall bright yellow colour.
Crescent House, Goswell Road, Golden Lane Estate, London EC1Y 0SL
Great Arthur House, Golden Lane Estate, Fann Street, Barbican EC1Y 0SJ
Basterfield House, Golden Lane Estate, Fann Street, Barbican EC1Y 0TN
THE DAILY EXPRESS BUILDING, EC4A
A prominent example of the art deco. The former newspaper headquarters features a black façade with rounded corners in vitrolite and clear glass with chromium strips. giving a streamline moderne style.
Designed in 1932 by Ellis and Clark, now grade 2* listed.
The Daily Express Building, 120 Fleet Street, City of London, EC4A 2BE