City of London
The City of London is where, around 2,000 years ago, the Romans founded their settlement. Surrounded by a wall for centuries, this was the historic city which grew into modern London, and the place marked by fire and plague.
Known as the Square Mile, the City of London has by far the lowest population of all 33 London boroughs, at around 8,000 people. But as a financial centre, home to banks, insurers and law firms, in the daytime that number swells to over 500,000.
An estimated 10 million visitors come each year to see sites like the St Paul’s Cathedral, the Bank of England, the Barbican Centre and, from 2026, the London Museum Smithfield.
There’s history around every corner here. Fleet Street is no longer the home of London’s newspapers. But reporters still gather around the Old Bailey, the City’s historic criminal court.
The Barbican estate is an icon of Brutalist architecture in the City of London
Blogs-And-Stories
Jack Sheppard: An 18th-century working class hero
How one young criminal became a working class hero by escaping London prisons four times.
The history of London's Newgate Prison
London’s longest-running prison was home to high-profile criminals, common thieves and the condemned
Graham Sutherland’s eerie Blitz drawings
This south London-born artist recorded the carnage of the Second World War
Executions and death-penalty reforms in Britain
How 18th-century British reformers questioned capital punishment and the fight continues today
Boudica: Rebel queen of the Iceni
London burned when this warrior queen challenged the Romans
Christmas Quiz: How good is your Christmas trivia?
Take our Christmas Quiz to find out how much you know about this annual festival
5 things about Smithfield Market you might not know
What connects London’s iconic Smithfield Market to the Sydney Opera House?
Medieval pilgrim shell tokens and St James’ Way
Explore London’s medieval shell relics, symbolising the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage’s lasting allure
From mammoths to pets: London's prehistoric beasts
Follow us on a journey of London animals from the Old Stone Age to the Iron Age
William Sessarakoo: the Royal African
One man’s journey from African prince through slavery into London high society
Jewels of the Cheapside Hoard
An emerald watch, a salamander brooch and a cornelian squirrel
London Stone in seven strange myths
We examine the myths surrounding London Stone and the colourful cast of characters who created them
The Roman amphitheatre in central London
Gladiators did battle at the Guildhall nearly 2,000 years ago
Smithfield and the Underground railways
Victorian modernity meets engineering marvel
The religious history of Smithfield
Smithfield boasts of a rich monastic history dating back over a millennium
