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Length | 0.3 mi (0.48 km) |
---|---|
Location | London, England |
Postal code | EC2 |
Nearest train station | Bank |
Northeast end | Bishopsgate |
Southwest end | Bank junction |
Other | |
Known for | Bank of England |
Threadneedle Street is a street in the City of London, England, between Bishopsgate at its northeast end and Bank junction in the southwest. [1] It is one of nine streets that converge at Bank. It lies in the ward of Cornhill.
Threadneedle street is famous as the site of the Bank of England. The bank itself is sometimes known as 'the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street' and has been based at its current location since 1734. The London Stock Exchange was situated on Threadneedle Street until 2004, when it relocated to nearby Paternoster Square. The Baltic Exchange was founded in the Virginia and Baltick Coffee House on Threadneedle Street in 1744. It is now located on St Mary Axe.
Some believe that the name originated as Three Needle Street, first attested to in 1598, perhaps from a signboard portraying three needles, or from the three needles on the arms of needle-makers who had premises on the street. [2] The threads and needles used by the members of the Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors is another possibility, since the livery company's hall has been located on Threadneedle Street since 1347. Before 1598, the road was part of Broad Street, now Old Broad Street. [3]
In addition to the Bank of England, there are a number of shops, banks, restaurants and offices located on Threadneedle Street.
The Merchant Taylors' Hall, home of the Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors, has occupied a site off Threadneedle Street since 1347. Reportedly the British national anthem was sung, in private, in 1607 for the first time, conducted by John Bull.
The headquarters of the South Sea Company was located on the street, from 1711 to the 1850s. [4]
The London office of the world's oldest merchant bank, Berenberg Bank, is located at No. 60.
The nearest London Underground station is Bank and Monument. London's first bus service ran between Threadneedle Street and Paddington from 1829. Today, the street is served by bus routes 8, 11, 23, 26, 133, 242, and 388.
Over 5,000 tonnes of gold bars are held by the Bank of England, both official reserves of the UK Treasury, and others, in a system of eight vaults, over two floors, under Threadneedle Street. [5]
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the English Government's banker and debt manager, and still one of the bankers for the Government of the United Kingdom, it is the world's eighth-oldest bank.
A livery company is a type of guild or professional association that originated in medieval times in London, England. Livery companies comprise London's ancient and modern trade associations and guilds, almost all of which are styled the "Worshipful Company of" their respective craft, trade or profession. There are 111 livery companies in total. They play a significant part in the life of the City of London, not least by providing charitable-giving and networking opportunities. Liverymen retain voting rights for the senior civic offices, such as the Lord Mayor, Sheriffs and Common Council of the City Corporation, London's ancient municipal authority with extensive local government powers.
The Worshipful Company of Grocers is one of the 111 livery companies of the City of London, ranking second in order of precedence.
The Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors is one of the 111 livery companies of the City of London.
The Worshipful Company of Ironmongers is one of the Great Twelve livery companies of the City of London, incorporated under a Royal Charter in 1463.
Ludgate Hill is a street and surrounding area, on a small hill in the City of London, England. The street passes through the former site of Ludgate, a city gate that was demolished – along with a gaol attached to it – in 1760.
The Royal Exchange in London was founded in the 16th century by the merchant Sir Thomas Gresham on the suggestion of his factor Richard Clough to act as a centre of commerce for the City of London. The site was provided by the City of London Corporation and the Worshipful Company of Mercers, who still jointly own the freehold. The original foundation was ceremonially opened by Queen Elizabeth I who granted it its "royal" title. The current neoclassical building has a trapezoidal floor plan and is flanked by Cornhill and Threadneedle Street, which converge at Bank junction in the heart of the city. It lies in the Ward of Cornhill.
Temple Bar was the principal ceremonial entrance to the City of London from the City of Westminster. In the middle ages, London expanded city jurisdiction beyond its walls to gates, called ‘bars’, which were erected across thoroughfares. To the west of the City of London, the bar was located adjacent to the area known as the Temple. Temple Bar was situated on the historic royal ceremonial route from the Tower of London to the Palace of Westminster, the two chief residences of the medieval English monarchs, and from the Palace of Westminster to St Paul's Cathedral. The road east of the bar within the City was Fleet Street, while the road to the west, in Westminster, was The Strand.
Sir John Houblon was an English merchant and banker who served as the first governor of the Bank of England from 1694 to 1697. He also served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1695.
St Martin Outwich was a parish church in the City of London, on the corner of Threadneedle Street and Bishopsgate. Of medieval origin, it was rebuilt at the end of the 18th century and demolished in 1874.
Lothbury is a short street in the City of London. It runs east–west with traffic flow in both directions, between Gresham Street's junction with Old Jewry and Coleman Street to the west, and Bartholomew Lane's junction with Throgmorton Street to the east.
St Christopher le Stocks was a parish church on the north side of Threadneedle Street in the Broad Street Ward of the City of London. Of Medieval origin, it was rebuilt following the Great Fire of London in 1666, but demolished in 1781 to make way for an extension of the neighbouring Bank of England.
Langbourn is one of the 25 ancient wards of the City of London. It reputedly is named after a buried stream in the vicinity.
The Merchant Taylors' Hall, London is the seat of the Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors, one of the Twelve Great Livery Companies of the City of London surviving from Mediaeval times.
Threadneedles Hotel, formerly the head offices of the London, City and Midland Bank, is a 5-star London hotel with 74 rooms and suites. The hotel is located opposite the Bank of England on Threadneedle Street. It is a Grade II listed building.
Petty France is a street in the City of Westminster in central London, linking Buckingham Gate with Broadway and Queen Anne's Gate.
Bank Junction is a major road junction in the City of London, the historic and financial centre of London, at which nine streets converge and where traffic is controlled by traffic lights and give-way lines. It is named after the nearby Bank of England. Directly underneath it is one of the ticket halls of Bank station, one of the busiest stations on the London Underground.
Mark Lane is a street in the City of London linking Great Tower Street and Fenchurch Street. It gave its name to the nearby Mark Lane tube station, which was opened in 1884, renamed Tower Hill in 1964, and closed three years later. For some 240 years, Mark Lane was known for the corn exchange ; it occupied a series of properties on the east side of the southern end of the street.
Edward Moxhay (1787-1849) was a Victorian shoemaker, biscuit maker and property speculator, best known for his involvement in a landmark English land law case that decided that in certain cases a covenant can "run with the land".
Thomas Grundy was a British sculptor and master mason who was builder of many of Sir John Soane's projects.