London Heritage Buildings

Bank of England

Situated in the heart of the City of London, the Bank was established in 1694 to provide William III with finance to fight the French. Over the years the bank grew to become Britain's central bank, with the authority to print and issue currency notes.  The Bank of England also has the responsibility of storing the country's gold reserves, managing the National Debt and a safeguarding the the value of British currency.

The building was designed by Sir John Soane in 1788, however, only the exterior of Soane's building has survived; the rest of the building was replaced between 1925 and 1939 when the Bank was enlarged. There is a museum within the building which illustrates the work of the Bank of England and the story of England's financial system using interactive videos and displays, including a modern dealing desk.

Threadneedle Street, EC2R 8AH  Tel: 020 7601 4444   Email

The Banqueting House

is the only surviving section of Whitehall Palace - which in its height was the largest royal palace in Europe. Visitors can admire the architecture and the fabulous Ruben's ceiling painting commissioned by Charles I which is the only Rubens scheme painted by him to remain in its original position. The Banqueting House was also the setting for Charles I's execution during the English Civil War (1642-49).

Whitehall, SW1 2ER     Tel: 0870 751 5178

Cabinet War Rooms & The Churchill Museum

The underground rooms used by Winston Churchill and the War Cabinet during World War II.

Clive Steps King Charles Street SW1A 2AQ    Tel: 020 7930 6961

Central Criminal Court (The Old Bailey)

The central criminal court where trials such as the one against Oscar Wilde and the Yorkshire Ripper took place here at the beginning of the 20th century. The building dates from halfway the 18th century and still is the place where trials take place although it does not function as a prison anymore. Mostly renowned for its impressive Gothic exterior. Universally known as the Old Bailey, this is the probably the most famous criminal court in the world, and has been London's principal criminal court for centuries. It hears cases remitted to it from all over England and Wales as well as the Greater London area

Warwick Square EC4M 7EH Tel: 020 7248 3277

College of Arms

The official repository of the coats of arms and pedigrees of English, Welsh, Northern Irish and Commonwealth families and their descendants. Its records also include official copies of the records of Ulster King of Arms the originals of which remain in Dublin.

Queen Victoria Street  EC4V 4BT Tel: 020 7248 2762

The Guildhall

The home of the Corporation of London. The present Guildhall was begun in 1411 and, having survived both the Great Fire of London and the Blitz, it is the only secular stone structure dating from before 1666 still standing in the City.

Gresham Street EC2P 2EJ   Tel: 020 7332 1252

The Houses of Parliament

Often called the Palace of Westminster because from the time of Edward the Confessor to Henry VIII the site was the main London residence of the monarch. The Saxon palace in which Edward the Confessor lived was not to the liking of William the Conqueror and he completely rebuilt it. His son, William Rufus, added the 240-ft-Iong Westminster Hall, probably the largest Norman hall ever builtin Europe. It was almost certainly aisled, with timber piers to support the roof.

The New Palace: Almost all the old palace was burned down in a disastrous fire on 16th October, 1834. All that survived of the medieval buildings were Westminster Hall, the cloister and undercroft of St Stephen's Chapel, and the Jewel Tower.

A competition was held at once for the design of a new Parliament building and the winning en try was by Charles Barry; although much of the detailed creative work was done by August Pugin.

The existing Houses of Parliament are basically a series of chambers, lobbies, and offices running parallel to the Thames. The building is 940 ft long, covers eight acres and includes 1100 apartments and over two miles of passages. To the south is the lofty Victoria Tower, 336 ft high. At the north end is the slightly smaller (316 ft), but much more famous Clock Tower known to all as Big Ben. The name actually refers to the mighty 13! ton bell which strikes the hours. The minute hands on the clock:s four 23-ft wide dials are each as tall as a double-decker bus, and it is still wound by hand. It is well known for keeping perfect time - tiny adjustments are made by adding or removing old pennies to or from the mechanism. While Parliament is in session the Union Jack flies from the Victoria Tower by day and by night a light shines from the Clock Tower.

The House of Lords sits in a hall to the south of the central lobby, and at one end, under an elaborate canopy, is the sovereign's throne, used at State Openings. In front of the throne is the Woolsack, a cushion filled with wool, on which the Lord Chancellor sits. The Woolsack is thought to have originated in the reign of Edward III as a symbol of the importance of the wool trade to England.

Parliament

A Parliament of sorts has been in existence since the late 13th century when the reigning monarch presided over a superior court, composed of officials from his own household, plus ecclesiastical and lay magnates, which dealt with national administration. The Commons, which was the brainchild of Simon de Montfort, began to evolve during the reign of Edward III, and by his death in 1377 were firmly established wi th their own elected Speaker. Officers of State were selected by the monarch until 1696 when William III agreed that the party holding a majority of seats in the House of Commons should form a governing Ministry - the forerunner of the present Cabinet. The Office of Prime Minister was established in the reign of George I, the first incumbent being Robert Walpole. Parliament was dominated by two political parties - Whigs and Tories (both of which had their origins in the 17th century) - until the late 19th century. In 1828 the Whigs adopted the name Liberals and the Tories that of Conservatives a few years later. LabQur candidates first appeared at the general election of 1892. They banded together to form the Labour Representative Committee in 1900, and have been known as the Labour Party since 1906. Today the Commons has almost full authority for governing the country, though all Bills have to go from there to the House of Lords, where some are amended and passed back to the Commons. Very few are ever rejected. Financial Bills  can be delayed for a limited period by the Lords but cannot be thrown out entirely. In recent years no new hereditary peerages have been created, but both men and women can be made Life Peers. Also sitting in the House of Lords are all the archbishops, 24 bishops, and current and retired Lords of Appeal.

Westminster,  SW1A 0AA  Tel: 020 7219 3000

Downing Street  (Residences of the Prime Minister & Chancellor of the Exchequer)

Named after its builder, Sir George Downing, who was a Cromwellian civil servant. No. 10 with its famous black front door - the backdrop to many historical announcements, has been the official residence of Britain’s Prime Minister since 1732, when King George II presented the property to Sir Robert Walpole, Britain’s first Prime Minister.

No. 11, home of the Chancellor of the Exchequer since 1806 and No. 12, home of the government’s chief whip, are all that remains of the original 17th century terrace. The other buildings in the street date from 1868. Unchanged externally, this brick built terrace of interconnecting houses has been modernised internally over the years to accommodate, as well as the many offices required, the Cabinet room on the ground floor and a flat on an upper floor occupied by the Prime Minister’s family.

10 – 11  Downing Street, Westminster SW1A 2AA Fax: 020 7925 0918

Mansion House

Palladian facade of Mansion House, with its six large Corinthian columns, is one of the most familiar landmarks in the City. The official residence of the Lord Mayor, the building was designed by George Dance the Elder in 1739 and completed in 1753. Inside are a series of state rooms, with the dignity appropriate to the office of Lord Mayor.  One of the the most magnificent is the 90 feet long Egyptian Hall, where many official banquets are held

Walbrook, London EC4 8BH 

The Monument

The tallest isolated stone column in the world with fine views of the city if you climb the 312 steps! Designed by Sir Christopher Wren to commemorate the Great Fire of London (2 - 5 September 1666), the Monument has been welcoming visitors for over 300 years

Monument Street  EC3R 8AH Tel: 020 7626 2717  Email

Royal Naval College

This is the great baroque masterpiece of English architecture, set in landscaped grounds on the River Thames in the centre of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. Originally built as the Greewich hospital, it became the Royal Naval College in 1873 where naval officers from all over the world came to train in the naval sciences.

King William Walk, Greenwich  SE10 9NN   Tel: 020 8269 4747   Email

Royal Observatory, Queens House & National Maritime Museum

The Maritime Geenwich World Heritage site encompases all three buildings (in addition to the Royal Naval College  see above).

The Observatory defines the prime meridian of longitude as 0º. You can see the Astronomer Royal’s apartments, the 1833 time ball and Harrison’s timekeepers.
The museum has 20 galleries that follow Britain’s history of seafaring. The queen’s house is Inigo Jone’s first classical house in England and designed by him for Anne of Denmark. The house has fine art displays with porraits and seascapes.

Park Row, Greenwich SE10 9NF   Tel: 0208 858 4422  Email

Somerset House

Built by William Chambers during the 1770s, is on the site of the 16th century Renaissance palace of the Dukes of Somerset. A neo-classical building resembling four mansions grouped together around a courtyard. The House used to house a number of government departments including the Inland Revenue and ther central register of births, marriages and deaths. It was returned to public use in 2000 after extensive renovations. It now houses the Courtauld Gallery and the Gilbert Collection.

The central court yard is turned into an ice skating rink for a few weeks over Xmas

Strand   WC2R 1LA Tel: 020 7845 4600  Email

Tower Bridge & Exhibition

The bridge has stood over the River Thames in London since 1894 and is one of the finest, most recognisable bridges in the World.

Tower Hill ,  SE1 2UP.  Tel: 020 7403 3761   Email

Tower Of London 

One of the most famous and well preserved historical buildings in the world. From its earliest structural beginnings by its founder William I of England better known as William the Conqueror 1066-87, the Great Tower or White Tower as it later came to be called was fast becoming the most talked-about building in England. The White Tower was also the most awe inspiring, and frightening structure to the Anglo-Saxon people who were trying to get used to the rule of their new Norman king, the destroyer of their own ruler, Harold II, at the in 1066. Within three months of his victory William the Conqueror had begun to build a castle on the north bank of the river Thames in London.  

Tower Hill, EC3N 4AB    Tel: 0870 756 6060   Email

Wellington Arch 

Designed by Decimus Burton, and erected in 1828 as a memorial to Sir Arthur Wellsley, 1st Duke of Wellington, soldier and Prime Minister.  

Hyde Park Corner,   W1J 7JZ  Tel: 020 7930 2726