NLA Walking Tour – The City

Take a walk through the historic and financial heart of London, where the oldest and newest buildings stand side by side.

Take a walk through the historic and financial heart of London, where the oldest and newest buildings stand side by side. The City of London continues to experience ongoing regeneration, with some of the tallest and most high-profile skyscrapers, alongside creative public realm projects and cultural buildings.

The industrial aesthetic expressed in Richard Rogers’ 1984 Lloyd’s Building unleashed a sea change in architecture within the City, with a tradition-breaking legacy of Portland Stone facades and a cluster of ever-taller office towers including his own 122 Leadenhall Street.

Within a tiny perimeter, dictated by legal sightline constraints, glass tower offices at 52-54 Lime Street (KPF), 100 Bishopsgate (Allies and Morrison/Woods Baggot) and 22 Bishopsgate (PLP) have set the bar to new heights, to be challenged by oncoming 40 Leadenhall Street (Make Architects), 1 Undershaft (Eric Parry), 100 Leadenhall Street (SOM) and 6-8 Bishopsgate (Wilkinson Eyre) within the next few years.

In contrast, the nearby ‘groundscraper’ Fen Court by Eric Parry sits at just 15-storeys high, alternatively drawing attention with colourful illuminations emanating from its ‘coronet’ top and a spacious public viewing garden complete with rill.

New lower-height developments like the mixed new/retrofitted Angel Court by Fletcher Priest Architects and OMA’s Rothschild Bank enhance the Bank Junction area. The 2018 RIBA prize-winning Bloomberg Square by Foster + Partners is noted for its co-joined bronze and sandstone offices, covering 3.2 acres surrounded by a bronze running water feature – a nod to the sustainability of the project.

All our walks are led by experienced Blue Badge Guides

Start: The London Centre, Guildhall

Ends: Liverpool Street Station

Duration: 2 hours approx.