The City – Lime Street Ward
Let’s start with a synopsis of the administrative structure of the City of London. For the full story, which I hope will help put Wards, in particular Lime Street Ward, into context.  See The City.

Then we take a very short look at the history of Lime Street Ward.  If you want to know more Contact Peter.

The current administrative structure:
The City of London is divided into 25 Wards, whose electorate (residents and businesses) elect Common Councilmen (CCs) for a 4 year term – Lime Street currently has an allocation of 4 p.o. an overall total of 100.

In addition each Ward has an Alderman, elected by the same electorate as the CC’s but for a 6 year term. It is from these 25 Aldermen that the Lord Mayor of London is chosen annually. The most recent Aldermanic election in our Ward was in 2013 when our Alderman, Charles Bowman was elected.

The City of London is administered by the Court of Common Council (the 25 Aldermen, inclusive of the Lord Mayor and the 100 CCs). This is supported by The City of London Corporation. 

The Court of Common Council meets every three weeks

at Guildhall (its meetings are normally open to the public). The Court of Aldermen meets 12 times a year.

Why is it called Lime Street ?
Some historians say it was because lime was burnt here, others that it came about because the Manor of Leaden Hall (basically where Leadenhall Market is today) had a fine avenue of Lime Trees leading up to the house.

70 = Leaden Hall

The Ward?
Lime Street Ward has always been a small ward, with an earlier name being ‘ferthing ward’ (insignificant or of little value – not true today).
The Ward is bounded to the north by Camomile Street and a line going through the middle of St Helen’s Place, the boundary with Bishopsgate Ward , to the West by Bishopsgate and Gracechurch Street the boundary with Cornhill Ward (with which our Ward Club is affiliated) to the east by St Mary Axe and Lime Street, the boundary with Aldgate Ward and the southern part of Leadenhall Market, the Boundary with Langbourn

Leadenhall Market
Leadenhall Market stands today on a small part of the site of a Roman Basilica and Forum, (it was larger in area than St Paul’s Cathedral).

The current version of Leadenhall Market was built around 1881 (Designed by Sir Horace Jones.) when a small section of the forum was found.

Another notable building in the Ward was East India House, headquarters of the East India Company (currently appearing in a not particularly good light in Taboo – ITV).  

The East India building, is shown below, on the right,

This building was demolished in 1862.
The Lloyd’s 1928 Building was built basically on this site.

The Lloyd’s 1928 Building
The Main entrance was all that was left of this building – by Starbucks – when it was knocked down to enable the Lloyd’s 1986 Building to be built.

Lloyd’s 1986 Building