London is easily one of the most famous cities in the world. When most people think about London they are actually imagining sights from the central parts of the English Capital, the majority of which are to be found namely in the City of London.
The special status of the City
At the present moment the territory of the capital is divided into 32 administrative areas that go by the name of boroughs. The City however is not a borough. The City covers the territory that was settled by the Romans in the 1st century AD and was inhabited throughout the Middle Ages. Due to the intensive urban expansion however, The City is just a tiny part of the metropolis of London. It covers a territory of less than 3 square kilometres (or a bit more than 1 square mile). It is important to point out that The City itself is not a place of residence – there are just over 8 000 people living here on a permanent basis. There are however many administrative buildings and offices that are located here, including such as:
- The London Stock Exchange
- The Alternative Investment Market
- Bank of England
- Lloyd’s of London
- Old Mutual
- Allen & Overy
- Museum of London
The financial strength of The City
The heart of the English capital is also the heart of the whole country’s economy. We can go even further and state that if it was not for The City, the financial landscape of the global economy would not have been the same either. The annual turnover that comes from the area is greater than any other place in the world, even locations such as New York City, Tokyo etc. The fact that the City of London Corporation has been encouraging the exclusively office use of this central part of the capital is surely one of the reasons so much economic strength is concentrated in such limited space. In recent years the corporation started encouraging more and more people to start living in the City too, but there is little doubt that it will take a long time until it actually happens.
Several key locations in The City of London
Even though most tourists attractions people come to the capital from all over the world for – such as Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and The Eye, among others are located in the neighbouring City of Westminster, there are a number of places of The City that also deserve your attention.
Barbican EC1 for example is one of the few residential estates here. It was built in the 1960s and 1970s in a location that was nearly completely destroyed during the bombing in WW2. Barbican Arts Centre, the Museum of London, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama are just a few of the landmarks here that make it so great. The whole estate consists of 13 blocks, three towers, two mews and the buildings that are named respectively The Postern, Wallside and Milton Court.
First recorded in 1317, the name Blackfriars today designates one of the busiest and most vibrant parts of the City of London. It contains a number of areas that preserve really old architecture, which is why it is often used as a filming location, including in such productions in which the stories take place during the Victorian Era, such as Sherlock Holmes and David Copperfield.
In recent years moving companies mark an increase in the demand for their services in certain parts of the City. Licensed man and van in Temple EC4 and WC2 for example is something that is in an ever-increasing demand, specifically for office removals that are obviously taking place in a large amount in the area. The area of Temple is just around Temple Church and it is where the Royal Courts of Justice are to be found. Reliable man and van services in Aldgate EC3 are also pretty popular recently. Aldgate is named after the eastern-most gateway through the London Wall, and one that leads from the City to the area of Whitechapel. The road and the area respectively is located just 2.3 miles away from Charing Cross.