SD : Buildings

Showing posts with label Buildings. Show all posts

Aldwych

World > United Kingdom > England > London > City of Westminster > Aldwych

Google Street View Aldwych

You can drag the map with your mouse, and double-click to zoom.
View Larger Map

Place of Interest in Aldwych:

1. Aldwych House

2. Aldwych Theatre

3. Aldwych tramway station

4. Aldwych tube station

5. Australia House

6. Bush House

7. Columbia House

8. Connaught House

9. Gaiety Theatre

10. India House

11. Novello Theatre

12. Waldorf Hilton hotel

13. Wych Street

Address: 49 Aldwych, London WC2B 4DF, United Kingdom, 51°30′45″N 0°07′09″W

Phone: +44 844 847 1712

Website: www.aldwychtheatre.com/

Aldwych:

Aldwych is a place and road in the City of Westminster in London, England. It is situated 0.6 miles (1 km) north-east of Charing Cross.

History of Aldwych:

Aldwych

The name, "Aldwych", derives from the Old English eald and wic meaning 'old trading town' or 'old marketplace'; the name was later applied to the street and district. It was recorded as Aldewich in 1211. In the seventh century, an Anglo-Saxon village and trading centre named Lundenwic ("London trading town") was established approximately one mile to the west of Londinium (named Lundenburh or "London Fort" by

the Saxons) in what is now Aldwych. Lundenwic probably used the mouth of the River Fleet as a harbour or anchorage for trading ships and fishing boats.

Lundenwic was 'rediscovered' in the 1980s after the results of extensive excavations were reinterpreted as being urban in character. These conclusions were reached independently by the archaeologists, Alan Vince and Martin Biddle. Recent excavations in the Covent Garden area have uncovered an extensive Anglo-Saxon settlement, covering about 600,000-square-metre (150-acre), stretching from the present-day National Gallery site in the west to Aldwych in the east. As the presumed locus of the city, Lundenburh, was moved back within the old Roman walls, the older settlement of Lundenwic gained the name of ealdwic: "old settlement", a name which evolved into Aldwych.

The modern street was created in a redevelopment in the early twentieth century, that saw the demolition of the old Wych Street and the construction of Australia House (built 1913-18) and Bush House (completed in 1925).

A statue of the nineteenth-century prime minister, William Ewart Gladstone, was installed in 1905 near St. Clement Danes church.

On 18 February 1996, a bomb detonated prematurely on a Number 171 bus travelling along Aldwych, killing Edward O'Brien, the IRA operative transporting the device; it also injured four others........Wikipedia >>

Google Photo >>

Willis Building

World > United Kingdom > England > London > City of London > Willis Building

Google Street View Willis Building

You can drag the map with your mouse, and double-click to zoom.
View Larger Map

Willis Building

Opened: 2008

Address: 51 Lime Street, London, United Kingdom

Floor count: 26

Website: www.willis.com

Willis Building:

The Willis Building is a skyscraper in London named after the primary tenant, insurance broker Willis. It is

located on Lime Street in the City of London financial district.

The Willis Building was designed by architect Norman Foster and developed by British Land. It stands opposite the Lloyd's building and is 125 metres (410 ft) tall, with 26 storeys. The skyscraper features a "stepped" design, which was intended to resemble the shell of a crustacean, with setbacks rising at 97 m (318 ft) and 68 m (223 ft). In total, there are 475,000 square feet (44,128.9 m2) of office floor-space, most of which was pre-let to risk management company and insurance broker Willis.

History of Willis Building:

The Willis Building was constructed between 2004 and 2008 under the management of Mace, the Willis Building was a significant addition to the City of London's skyline, becoming its fourth-tallest building after Tower 42, 30 St. Mary Axe and CityPoint. The core was topped out in July 2006 and the steelwork completed in September that year. Cladding began in July 2006 and the structure was externally completed by June 2007. It was internally fitted out and officially opened in April 2008.

The building was the first in a wave of new tall towers planned for London's financial district. Others included the Bishopsgate Tower (also known as The Pinnacle), the Leadenhall Building (informally called the Cheesegrater), and the Heron Tower.......Wikipedia >>

Google Photo of Willis Building >>

Tower 42

World > United Kingdom > England > London > City of London > Tower 42

Google Street View Tower 42

You can drag the map with your mouse, and double-click to zoom.
View Larger Map

Tower 42

Construction started: 1971

Completed: 1980

Opened: June 11, 1981

Address: 25 Old Broad St, City of London, Greater London, United Kingdom, 51°30′55″N 0°05′02″W

Floor count: 47

Phone: +44 20 7877 7777

Website: www.tower42.com/

Tower 42:

Tower 42 is the second-tallest skyscraper in the City of London and the seventh tallest in Greater London. Its original name was the National Westminster Tower, having been built to house the National Westminster

Bank's international division. Seen from above, the tower closely resembles the NatWest logo (three chevrons in a hexagonal arrangement).

The tower, designed by Richard Seifert and engineered by Pell Frischmann, is located at 25 Old Broad Street. It was built by John Mowlem & Co between 1971 and 1980, first occupied in 1980, and formally opened on 11 June 1981 by Queen Elizabeth II.

The construction cost was £72 million (approximately £261 million today). It is 183 metres (600 ft) high, which made it the tallest building in the United Kingdom until the topping out of One Canada Square at Canary Wharf in 1990. It held the status of tallest building in the City of London for 30 years, until it was surpassed by the Heron Tower in December 2009.

The building today is multi-tenanted and comprises Grade A office space and restaurant facilities. In 2011 it was bought by the South African businessman Nathan Kirsh for £282.5 million.

History of Tower 42:

The National Westminster Tower's status as the first skyscraper in the City was a coup for NatWest, but was extremely controversial at the time, as it was a major departure from the previous restrictions on tall buildings in London. The original concept dates back to the early 1960s, predating the formation of the National Westminster Bank. The site was then the headquarters of the National Provincial Bank, with offices in Old Broad Street backing onto its flagship branch at 15 Bishopsgate.

Early designs envisaged a tower of 137 m (450 ft); this developed into a design with a 197 m (647 ft) tower as its centrepiece, proposed in 1964 by architect Richard Seifert. The plan attracted opposition, partly because of the unprecedented height of the design and partly because of the proposed demolition of the 19th century bank building at 15 Bishopsgate, which dated from 1865 and was designed by architect John Gibson. Seifert, who had developed a reputation for overcoming planning objections, organised an exhibition in which he presented two alternative visions: his preferred design, and a second design featuring a 500 ft tower with an "absurdly squat" second tower alongside. Visitors were invited to vote and overwhelmingly chose the single tower design. The final design preserved the Gibson banking hall and the tower's height was reduced to 183 m (600 ft)........Wikipedia >>

Google Photo >>

The Heron

World > United Kingdom > England > London > City of London > The Heron

Google Street View The Heron

You can drag the map with your mouse, and double-click to zoom.
View Larger Map

Opened: 2013

Address: Norfolk Crescent, London, Greater London W2 2DN, United Kingdom, 51.519889°N 0.090573°W

Floor count: 36

Phone: +44 20 7724 8463

Website: www.theheron.co.uk

The Heron:

The Heron, also known as Milton Court, is a 36-storey residential skyscraper under construction in

London. As of January 2013 the building has been topped out to its full height of 112 m (367 ft). It is being developed by Heron International.

Construction on the building began in 2010 and is scheduled for completion in September 2013. It is located near the Barbican residential estate within the City of London area, close to Barbican and Moorgate tube stations.

Designed by David Walker Architects,[4] the building was originally planned to be 140 m (460 ft) tall with 44 floors, but after criticism the height was scaled down to 112 m (367 ft) and 36 floors. Structural engineering on the project was completed by WSP Group.

The building's £89 million price tag was funded by Heron International and the City of London; contributing a combined £75.5 million towards the development; the remaining £13.5 million was financed by the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

The building is part of a wider redevelopment of Milton Court, to include a new teaching and performance centre for the Guildhall School. In the centre of the Heron there is an eight-storey high atrium. The building includes: a 225-seat training theatre; a 625-seat concert hall; and 284 luxury apartments........Wikipedia >>

Google Photo of The Heron >>

Stock Exchange Tower

World > United Kingdom > England > London > City of London > Stock Exchange Tower

Google Street View Stock Exchange Tower

You can drag the map with your mouse, and double-click to zoom.
View Larger Map

Stock Exchange Tower

Opened: 1972

Address: 22 Old Broad St, London, Greater London EC2N 1HQ, United Kingdom

Website: www.londonstockexchange.com

Stock Exchange Tower:

The Stock Exchange Tower is a high-rise building in London, located at 125 Old Broad Street in the City

of London financial district. For over 30 years it was the site of the London Stock Exchange, until its relocation in 2004.

History of Stock Exchange Tower:

Standing at 100 metres (328 ft) tall with 26 floors, the tower was completed by Trollope & Colls in 1970 and opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 8 November 1972.

It served as the headquarters, offices and trading floor for the London Stock Exchange until its departure for new premises in nearby Paternoster Square in July 2004. Face-to-face trading was conducted on the trading floor of the exchange until it was abolished in favour of electronic trading in the October 1986 deregulation of the London Stock Exchange known as the 'Big Bang'.

On 20 July 1990 the Provisional IRA exploded a bomb inside the tower, causing its evacuation. The bomb destroyed the public viewing areas in the building which subsequently closed in 1992. It was also evacuated on 11 September 2001 after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.......Wikipedia >>

Google Photo of Willis Building >>

St Paul's Cathedral

World > United Kingdom > England > London > City of London > St Paul's Cathedral

Google Street View St Paul's Cathedral

You can drag the map with your mouse, and double-click to zoom.
View Larger Map

St Paul's Cathedral

Website: http://www.stpauls.co.uk

St Paul's Cathedral:

St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral, the seat of the Bishop of London and mother church of the Diocese of London. It sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of

London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604.[1] The present church, dating from the late 17th century, was designed in the English Baroque style by Sir Christopher Wren. Its construction, completed within Wren's lifetime, was part of a major rebuilding program which took place in the city after the Great Fire of London.

The cathedral is one of the most famous and most recognisable sights of London, with its dome, framed by the spires of Wren's City churches, dominating the skyline for 300 years. At 365 feet (111 m) high, it was the tallest building in London from 1710 to 1962, and its dome is also among the highest in the world. In terms of area, St Paul's is the second largest church building in the United Kingdom after Liverpool Cathedral.

St Paul's Cathedral occupies a significant place in the national identity of the English population. It is the central subject of much promotional material, as well as postcard images of the dome standing tall, surrounded by the smoke and fire of the Blitz. Important services held at St Paul's include the funerals of Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington, Sir Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher; Jubilee celebrations for Queen Victoria; peace services marking the end of the First and Second World Wars; the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer, the launch of the Festival of Britain and the thanksgiving services for the Golden Jubilee, the 80th Birthday and the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. St Paul's Cathedral is a busy working church, with hourly prayer and daily services.

History of St Paul's Cathedral:

There was a late-Roman episcopal see in London, and Bishop Restitutus of London attended the Council of Arles in AD 314. The location of Roman London's cathedral is unknown, although it has been argued that a large and ornate 4th-century building on Tower Hill, remains of which were excavated in 1989, may have been the cathedral.

The Elizabethan antiquarian William Camden argued that a Roman temple dedicated to the goddess Diana had once stood on the site of the medieval St Paul's cathedral. Christopher Wren reported that he had found no trace of any such temple during the works to build the new cathedral after the Great Fire, and Camden's hypothesis is not accepted by modern archaeologists.

Bede records that in AD 604 St Augustine consecrated Mellitus as the first bishop to the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Saxons and their king, Sæberht. Sæberht's uncle and overlord, Æthelberht, king of Kent, built a church dedicated to St Paul in London, as the seat of the new bishop. It is assumed, although unproven, that this first Anglo-Saxon cathedral stood on the same site as the later medieval and the present cathedrals.

On the death of Sæberht in about 616, his pagan sons expelled Mellitus from London, and the East Saxons reverted to paganism. The fate of the first cathedral building is unknown. Christianity was restored among the East Saxons in the late 7th-century and it is presumed that either the Anglo-Saxon cathedral was restored or a new building erected as the seat of bishops such as Cedd, Wine and Earconwald, the last of whom was buried in the cathedral in 693. This building, or a successor, was destroyed by fire in 962, but rebuilt in the same year. King Æthelred the Unready was buried in the cathedral on his death in 1016. The cathedral was burnt, with much of the city, in a fire in 1087, as recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.......Wikipedia >>

Google Photo of CityPoint >>

St Mary-le-Bow

World > United Kingdom > England > London > City of London > St Mary-le-Bow

Google Street View St Mary-le-Bow

You can drag the map with your mouse, and double-click to zoom.
View Larger Map

Address: 51 Lime Street, London, United Kingdom, 51°30′50″N 0°05′37″W

Website: http://www.stmarylebow.co.uk

St Mary-le-Bow

St Mary-le-Bow:

St Mary-le-Bow is a historic church in the City of London on the main east-west thoroughfare, Cheapside. According to tradition a true Cockney must be born within earshot of the sound of Bow Bells (which refers

to this church's bells rather than St Mary and Holy Trinity, Bow Road, in Bow, which until the 19th century was an outlying village).

History of St Mary-le-Bow:

Archaeological evidence indicates that a church existed on this site in Saxon period England. A medieval version of the church had been destroyed in the late 11th century by one of the earliest recorded (and one of the most violent) tornadoes in Britain, the London Tornado of 1091. During the later Norman period, the church known as “St Mary de Arcubus” was rebuilt and was famed for its two arches (“bows”) of stone. From at least the 13th century, the church was a peculier of the Diocese of Canterbury and the seat of the Court of Arches, to which it gave the name. The church with its steeple had been a landmark of London and the “bow bells”, which could be heard as far away as Hackney Marshes,[citation needed] were once used to order a curfew in the City of London[citation needed]. This building burned in the Great Fire of London of 1666.

St Mary-le-Bow in an 1837 engraving

Considered the second most important church in the City of London after St Paul's Cathedral, St-Mary-le-Bow was one of the first churches to be rebuilt by Christopher Wren and his office for this reason. The current building was built to the designs of Wren 1671—1673; the 223 feet (68 m) steeple was completed 1680. The mason-contractor was Thomas Cartwright, one of the leading London mason-contractors and carvers of his generation.

In 1914, a stone from the crypt of St Mary-le-Bow church was placed in Trinity Church, New York in commemoration of the fact that King William III granted the vestry of Trinity Church the same privileges as St Mary-le-Bow vestry which was the forenunner to lower-tier local government. A recording of the Bow Bells made in 1926 has been used by the BBC World Service as an interval signal for the English-language broadcasts since the early 1940s. It is still used today preceding some English language broadcasts.

Much of the current building was destroyed by a German bomb during the Blitz on 10 May 1941, during which fire the bells crashed to the ground. Restoration under the direction of Laurence King was begun in 1956 (with internal fittings made by Faith-Craft, part of the Society of the Faith) and the bells as listed above, cast in 1956, were eventually installed to resume ringing in 1961. The church was formally reconsecrated in 1964 having achieved designation as a Grade I listed building on 4 January 1950. In the churchyard is a statue of Captain John Smith of Jamestown, founder of Virginia and former parishioner of the church.......Wikipedia >>

Google Photo >>

Southwark Cathedral

World > United Kingdom > England > London > City of London > Southwark Cathedral

Google Street View Southwark Cathedral

You can drag the map with your mouse, and double-click to zoom.
View Larger Map

Years built: 1106-1897

Address: Southwark, City of London, London, United Kingdom, 51°30′22″N 0°5′23″W

Website: http://www.southwarkcathedral.org.uk

Southwark Cathedral

Southwark Cathedral:

Southwark Cathedral or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies on the south bank of the River Thames close to London Bridge. It is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Southwark. It has been a place of Christian worship for more than 1,000

years, but a cathedral only since the creation of the diocese of Southwark in 1905.

Between 1106 and 1538 it was the church of an Augustinian priory, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Following the dissolution of the monasteries, it became a parish church, with the new dedication of St Saviour's. The church was in the diocese of Winchester until 1877, when the parish of St Saviour's, along with other South London parishes, was transferred to the diocese of Rochester. The present building retains the basic form of the Gothic structure built between 1220 and 1420, although the nave is a late 19th-century reconstruction.

Borough Market is immediately to its south and the Hall of the Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass is on the riverside part of Montague Close on its north.

History of Southwark Cathedral:

The 16th-century London historian John Stow recorded an account of the origins of the Southwark Priory of St Mary that he had heard from Bartholomew Linsted, who had been the last prior when the priory was dissolved. Linsted claimed it had been founded as a nunnery "long before the [Norman] Conquest" by a maiden named Mary, on the profits of a ferry across the Thames she had inherited from her parents. Later it was converted into a college of priests by "Swithen, a noble lady". Finally in 1106 it was refounded as an Augustinian priory.

The tale of the ferryman's daughter Mary and her benefactions became very popular, but later historians tried to rationalise Linsted's story. Thus the author of an 1862 guidebook to the then St Saviour's church suggested it was probable that the "noble lady" Swithen had in fact been a man – Swithun, Bishop of Winchester from 852 or 853 until his death in 863.

In the 20th century this identification was accepted by the Revd Thomas P. Stevens, Succentor and Sacrist, and later Honorary Canon, of Southwark Cathedral, who wrote a number of guidebooks to the cathedral, and a history that was revised and reprinted many times. He went on to date the foundation of the supposed original nunnery to "about the year 606", although he provided no evidence to support the date. Although recent guidebooks are more circumspect, referring only to "a tradition", an information panel at the east end of the cathedral still claims that there had been "A convent founded in 606 AD" and "A monastery established by St Swithun in the 9th century"........Wikipedia >>

Google Photo >>

Shakespeare Tower

World > United Kingdom > England > London > City of London > Shakespeare Tower

Google Street View Shakespeare Tower

You can drag the map with your mouse, and double-click to zoom.
View Larger Map

Shakespeare Tower

Shakespeare Tower, completed in 1976 - named after William Shakespeare.

Google Photo of Shakespeare Tower >>

Old St Paul's Cathedral

World > United Kingdom > England > London > City of London > Old St Paul's Cathedral

Google Street View Old St Paul's Cathedral

You can drag the map with your mouse, and double-click to zoom.
View Larger Map

Built in: 1087–1314

Address: City of London, London, United Kingdom, 51°30′49″N 0°5′54″W

Website: www.stpauls.co.uk/

Old St Paul's Cathedral

Old St Paul's Cathedral:

Old St Paul's Cathedral was the medieval cathedral of the City of London that, until 1666, stood on the

site of the present St Paul's Cathedral. Built in 1087–1314 and dedicated to Saint Paul, the cathedral was the fourth church on the site at Ludgate Hill. Work began during the reign of William the Conqueror after a fire in 1087 that destroyed much of the city. Work took more than 200 years, and construction was delayed by another fire in 1135. The church was consecrated in 1240 and enlarged again in 1256 and the early 14th century. At its completion in the middle of the 14th century, the cathedral was one of the longest churches in the world and had one of the tallest spires and some of the finest stained glass.

The presence of the shrine of Saint Erkenwald made the cathedral a pilgrimage site during the Medieval period. In addition to serving as the seat of the Diocese of London, the building developed a reputation as a hub of the City of London, with the nave aisle, "Paul's walk", known as a centre for business and the London grapevine. After the Reformation, the open-air pulpit in the churchyard, St Paul's Cross, became the stage for radical evangelical preaching and Protestant bookselling.

The cathedral was already severely in decline by the 17th century. Restoration work by Inigo Jones in the 1620s was halted by the English Civil War. Sir Christopher Wren was attempting another restoration in 1666 when the cathedral was destroyed in the Great Fire of London. After demolition of the old structure, the present, domed cathedral was erected on the site, with an English Baroque design by Wren.

History of Old St Paul's Cathedral:

The cathedral was the fourth church on the site at Ludgate Hill dedicated to St Paul. A devastating fire in 1087, detailed in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, destroyed much of the city and the cathedral. King William I donated the stone from the destroyed Palatine Tower on the River Fleet towards the construction of a new, Romanesque Norman cathedral, sometimes said to be his last act before his death.

Bishop Maurice oversaw early preparations, although it was primarily under his successor, Richard de Beaumis, that construction work fully commenced. Beaumis was assisted by King Henry I, who gave the bishop stone and commanded that all material brought up the River Fleet for the cathedral should be free from toll. To fund the cathedral, Henry gave Beamis rights to all fish caught within the cathedral neighbourhood and tithes on venison taken in the County of Essex. Beaumis also gave a site for the original foundation of St Paul's School.

After Henry I's death, a civil war known as "The Anarchy" broke out. Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester, was appointed to administer the affairs of St Paul's. Almost immediately, he had to deal with the aftermath of a fire at London Bridge in 1135. It spread over much of the city, damaging the cathedral and delaying its construction. During this period, the style of the building transitioned from heavy Romanesque into Early English Gothic. Although the base Norman columns were left alone, lancet pointed arches were placed over them in the triforium and some heavy columns were substituted with clustered pillars. The steeple was erected in 1221 and the cathedral was rededicated by Bishop Roger Niger in 1240.

After a succession of storms, in 1255 Bishop Fulk Basset appealed for funds to repair the damaged roof. The roof was once more rebuilt in wood, which was ultimately to doom the building. At this time, the east end of the cathedral church was lengthened, enclosing the parish church of St Faith, which was now brought within the cathedral. The eastward addition was always referred to as "The New Work".......Wikipedia >>

Google Photo of >>

Leadenhall Building

World > United Kingdom > England > London > City of London > Leadenhall Building

Google Street View Leadenhall Building

You can drag the map with your mouse, and double-click to zoom.
View Larger Map

Opened: 2014

Address: City of London, London EC3A, UK ‎ 0.1 ft N , 51.5138°N 0.0821°W

Leadenhall Building

Floor count: 48

Website: www.theleadenhallbuilding.com

Leadenhall Building:

122 Leadenhall Street is an address on Leadenhall Street in London where the 225 m (737 ft)-tall

Leadenhall Building is currently under construction. The skyscraper, due for completion in mid-2014, is designed by Richard Rogers and informally known as the Cheesegrater because of its distinctive wedge shape. It is one of a number of new tall buildings for the City of London financial district, with others including 20 Fenchurch Street (known as the Walkie-Talkie), the Pinnacle, and an as yet unnamed project at 52-54 Lime Street.

The site is adjacent to the Lloyd's building, also designed by Rogers, which is the current home of the insurance market Lloyd's of London. Until 2007 the Leadenhall site was occupied by a building owned by the developer British Land and designed by Gollins Melvin Ward Partnership that was constructed in the 1960s. That building was demolished in preparation for redevelopment of the site. By December 2009, the site was cleared but construction had stalled. The project, initially delayed due to the financial crisis, was revived in October 2010, and Oxford Properties is now co-developing the property in partnership with British Land.

In May 2013, the co-developers announced that the building is over 51% pre-let, with tenancy agreements reached with insurance broker Aon and insurance group Amlin.

History of Leadenhall Building:

Prior to the site's previous redevelopment in the 1960s, it had been used as the head office of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O) for over a century. Since 1840, P&O had worked in the rent-free offices of Willcox & Anderson. However, business east of the Gulf of Suez increased in the late-1840s resulting in the company needing newer and larger offices. It was the P&O directors' obligation to provide new space. In November 1845, the King's Arms inn and hotel at 122 Leadenhall Street was put up for sale. The freehold was bought by P&O for £7,250, which then commissioned an architect, Beachcroft, to design a new building. The cost of the new building was estimated at £8,000. In March 1848, P&O moved into the new office.

In 1854, P&O unsuccessfully attempted to purchase the neighbouring building at 121 Leadenhall Street, however they were eventually able to take a lease from the charity which held it. They also bought leases of 80 years from St. Thomas's Hospital on the residential properties at Nos. 123, 124 and 125 Leadenhall Street which were demolished to create a new frontage at No. 122. The new building provided more office space, some of which was for rent, and a spacious new courtyard.

By the mid-1960s P&O needed to redevelop the site to provide increased office space again. At the same time, the Commercial Union Assurance Company was also planning a redevelopment on an adjacent site on the corner of St. Mary Axe. However, due to a number of issues affecting both sites, notably poor access to the Commercial Union site and the restricted width of the P&O site, it was not possible to obtain planning consents that would optimise the amount of floor space desired by either company. As a result, the two companies decided to participate in a joint development that would involve the reallocation of site boundaries and the creation of an open concourse area at the junction of Leadenhall Street and St. Mary Axe. Both companies would have frontages to the new concourse and would retain site areas equivalent to those enclosed by the original boundaries........Wikipedia >>

Google Photo of Leadenhall Building >>