City of London

Discover the Financial District’s iconic historic and modern landmarks such as St Paul's Cathedral and the Gherkin, while delving into the City's autonomous status, post-COVID challenges and ambitious sustainability goals.

A Tour of incredible contrasts. The City of London is the ‘beating financial heart of London’. An incredible mix of old and new, with ever competing ultra-modern sky and ground scrapers, squeezed in-between and seemingly stepping over listed historic buildings, with some going to incredible lengths - gymnastically leaning back and ducking and diving to avoid the sightlines of the hallowed Dome of St Pauls Cathedral.

On the City of London architecture tour, we will see the oldest part of London established 2000 years ago by the Romans, built within a one square mile defensive wall. The City of London is completely autonomous and self-financing, separate and independent from Greater London, with its own Lord Mayor and Police Force - effectively a ‘City within a City’.

The City of London’s planning department have been trying to soften and improve the public realm in-between the buildings with new public plazas and pedestrian routes, re-discovering and reinstating some of the medieval alleyways and encouraging active street frontages and green spaces in between the buildings.

On the City of London architecture tour, we will also look at the post COVID challenge of hybrid working on the City’s economy and occupancy, alongside the City’s bold ambition to achieve a Net Zero Square Mile by 2040. Together with moves to encourage developers to assess the ‘whole lifecycle carbon’ for all new major projects and the growing imperatives to ‘green retrofit buildings’ rather than keep demolishing and starting again.

Featured buildings on the City of London architecture tour include:

100 Liverpool Street - Hopkins Architects 2022, 100 Bishopsgate - Allies & Morrison 2021, 22 Bishopsgate - PLP Architecture 2019, The Lloyd’s Building - Richard Rodgers 1986, 30 St Mary Axe 2003 AKA ‘The Gherkin’ - Foster + Partners, The Leadenhall Building - RSH+P 2015- AKA ‘The Cheese Grater’, Leadenhall Market - Sir Horace Jones in 1881, Bank of England - (The National Central Bank) – Sir John Soanes 1788 & Herbert Baker 1942. Bloomsburg Headquarters - Norman Foster 2017, One New Change- Jean Nouvel 2010, St Pauls Cathedral - Sir Christopher Wren 1710.]

Length of Tour: 2.5 hours.

Please Note – This tour can be extended by starting at Tate Modern - Herzog and de Meuron 2000 and ending at The Shard - Renzo Piano 2012 and Borough Market.