Bank Junction

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Bank Junction
Bank junction from 22 Bishopsgate.jpg
Bank Junction in 2023, viewed from 22 Bishopsgate
Bank Junction
Location
City of London
Coordinates 51°30′48″N0°05′21″W / 51.513433°N 0.089045°W / 51.513433; -0.089045
Roads at
junction
Threadneedle Street, Cornhill, Lombard Street, King William Street, Mansion House Place, Walbrook, Mansion House Street, Queen Victoria Street, Poultry, Prince's Street
Construction
Type Junction
Maintained by City of London Corporation
TollsWithin the London congestion charge zone
City of London UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of Bank Junction in the City of London

Bank Junction is a major road junction in the City of London, the historic and financial centre of London, at (or by) 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.

Contents

Street network

The streets which originate at Bank Junction are: [1]

King William Street, a major thoroughfare, begins just south of the junction, leading off Lombard Street.

Since May 2017, the junction has been closed to all vehicles except buses and pedal cycles from 7am to 7pm, Monday to Friday, on an experimental basis. [2]

Notable sites

Standing on the northeast corner of this junction is the Bank of England, headquartered on Threadneedle Street since 1734 and thus sometimes known by the metonym The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street, or simply The Old Lady. Across that street and nestled in the gap between Cornhill is the commercial centre the Royal Exchange, founded in 1565 by Thomas Gresham, after whom the nearby Gresham Street is named.

Outside the main entrance to the Royal Exchange is an equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington overlooking Bank Junction; it was inaugurated in June 1844. Also in front of the Royal Exchange is the London Troops War Memorial, commemorating those Londoners who served and died in World War I and World War II. There is also a statue of James Henry Greathead, responsible for an improved tunnelling shield which enabled construction of London's deep-level Underground lines.

Bank Junction pictured on a Sunday in April 1961 Bank Station, one entrance - geograph.org.uk - 1835302.jpg
Bank Junction pictured on a Sunday in April 1961

To the south of the junction is Mansion House. This has been the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London since its completion in 1752. Other notable buildings close to Bank Junction include the City of London Magistrates' Court on Walbrook, No 1 Poultry, the Worshipful Company of Grocers, off Princes Street, and the Worshipful Company of Mercers, on Threadneedle Street.

The surrounding pavements host the access steps and ramps to one of London's busiest Underground stations, Bank. Built in 1900, the interchange station is served by the Central, Northern and Waterloo & City lines, as well as the Docklands Light Railway. The station is connected with Monument, a station served by the Circle and District lines – together the two stations form one of the world's most complex underground train stations. [3]

The closest mainline railway stations are Cannon Street, Fenchurch Street and Liverpool Street.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannon Street station</span> London railway and Underground station

Cannon Street station, also known as London Cannon Street, is a central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in Travelcard zone 1 located on Cannon Street in the City of London and managed by Network Rail. It is one of two London termini of the South Eastern Main Line, the other being Charing Cross, while the Underground station is on the Circle and District lines, between Monument and Mansion House. The station runs services by Southeastern, mostly catering for commuters in southeast London and Kent, with occasional services further into the latter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bank and Monument stations</span> London Underground and DLR stations

Bank and Monument are two interlinked interchange stations in the City of London that form a public transport complex for London Underground - of which 5 lines serve - and Docklands Light Railway (DLR) services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mansion House tube station</span> London Underground station

Mansion House is a London Underground station in the City of London which takes its name from Mansion House, the residence of the Lord Mayor of London. It opened in 1871 as the eastern terminus of the Metropolitan District Railway. Today, Mansion House is served by the Circle and District lines. It is between Blackfriars and Cannon Street stations and it is in fare zone 1. The station is located at the junction of Queen Victoria Street and Cannon Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walbrook</span> Ward of the City of London

Walbrook is a Ward of the City of London and a minor street in its vicinity. The ward is named after a river of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Threadneedle Street</span> Street in the City of London, London, England

Threadneedle Street is a street in the City of London, England, between Bishopsgate at its northeast end and Bank junction in the southwest. It is one of nine streets that converge at Bank. It lies in the ward of Cornhill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King William Street, London</span> Street in the City of London, London, England

King William Street is a street in the City of London, the historic nucleus and modern financial centre of London. It is a two-way street linking Lombard Street, at its northern end, with London Bridge, which marks the start of the start of the A3 route to Portsmouth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Exchange, London</span> Historic commercial building in London; built in 1571, rebuilt in 1844

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central London Railway</span> Underground railway company in London

The Central London Railway (CLR), also known as the Twopenny Tube, was a deep-level, underground "tube" railway that opened in London in 1900. The CLR's tunnels and stations form the central section of the London Underground's Central line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornhill, London</span> Ward of the City of London

Cornhill is a ward and street in the City of London, the historic nucleus and financial centre of modern London, England. The street runs between Bank Junction and Leadenhall Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lothbury</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exchange Alley</span> Alleyway in London, England

Exchange Alley or Change Alley is a narrow alleyway connecting shops and coffeehouses in an old neighbourhood of the City of London. It served as a convenient shortcut from the Royal Exchange on Cornhill to the Post Office on Lombard Street and remains as one of a number of alleys linking the two streets. Shops once located in Exchange Alley included ship chandlers, makers of navigation instruments such as telescopes, and goldsmiths from Lombardy in Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Worshipful Company of Parish Clerks</span> Guild of the City of London

The Worshipful Company of Parish Clerks is one of the Guilds of the City of London. It has no livery, because "in the 16th century, the Parish Clerks declined to take the Livery on the grounds that the surplice was older than the Livery and was the proper garb of members of the Company." It is not, therefore, technically a livery company although to all intents and purposes it acts as such. It is one of two such historic companies without livery, the other being the Company of Watermen and Lightermen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broad Street (ward)</span> Ward of the City of London

Broad Street is one of the 25 ancient wards of the City of London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Langbourn</span> Ward of the City of London

Langbourn is one of the 25 ancient wards of the City of London. It reputedly is named after a buried stream in the vicinity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Jewry</span> Street in the City of London, England

Old Jewry is a one-way street in the City of London, the historic and financial centre of London. It is located within Coleman Street ward and links Poultry to Gresham Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen Victoria Street, London</span>

Queen Victoria Street, named after the British monarch who reigned from 1837 to 1901, is a street in London which runs east by north from its junction with New Bridge Street and Victoria Embankment in the Castle Baynard ward of the City of London, along a section that divides the wards of Queenhithe and Bread Street, then lastly through the middle of Cordwainer ward, until it reaches Mansion House Street at Bank junction. Beyond Bank junction, the street continues north-east as Threadneedle Street which joins Bishopsgate. Other streets linked to Queen Victoria Street include Puddle Dock, Cannon Street, Walbrook and Poultry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lombard Street, London</span> Street in the City of London

Lombard Street is a street notable for its connections with the City of London's merchant, banking and insurance industries, stretching back to medieval times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poultry, London</span> Short street in the City of London

Poultry is a short street in the City of London, which is the historic nucleus and modern financial centre of London. It is an eastern continuation of Cheapside, between Old Jewry and Mansion House Street, towards Bank Junction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington, City of London</span> Statue by Francis Leggatt Chantrey

The equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington is an outdoor sculpture of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, a British soldier and statesman, located at the Royal Exchange in London. It overlooks Bank junction in the historic City of London. The sculptor was Francis Leggatt Chantrey. The statue commemorates Wellington's assistance to the City of London in ensuring that a bill was passed to allow the rebuilding of London Bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of James Henry Greathead, London</span> Statue in the City of London

The statue of James Henry Greathead, designed by James Butler, is installed outside the Royal Exchange, where it conceals a ventilation shaft. It was erected in 1994 on a traffic island in the middle of Cornhill, London, with traffic passing to either side, similar to the statue of Prince Albert at Holborn Circus. The London Troops War Memorial is nearby.

References

  1. Ordnance Survey mapping
  2. "Bank on Safety scheme". City of London. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  3. "Bank". Transport for London . Retrieved 9 February 2012.