Vibrance festival to light up City evenings this January Destination City The City of London’s built environment – its streets, squares and landmarks – reflects nearly two thousand years of change and reinvention. Between 17:30 and 20:30 on January 29 and 30, the City will transform once more, with the award-winning Guildhall Production Studio presenting a brand-new – and free – festival of light and sound – [...]
Make your lunch break count: free learning and culture in the City Destination City Setting a New Year’s resolution is one of those time-honoured traditions. Indeed, it’s a ritual that can be traced some 4,000 years to the ancient Babylonian times, with citizens celebrating the New Year during a 12-day festival called Akitu. One common New Year’s resolution was the return of borrowed farm equipment. While our goals may [...]
Smithfield Christmas Meat Auction: London’s oldest festive tradition returns One of London’s oldest festive trading traditions returns this Christmas Eve, as the gates at Smithfield Market’s Grade II listed Grand Avenue are set to open at 09:30, for the iconic Smithfield Christmas Meat Auction. The Auction began around a century ago, as traders prepared for their well-earned festive break and sold off excess supplies [...]
Sir Devonshire Square: A new hotel embodying the City’s spirit December 18, 2025 Sir Devonshire Square: A new hotel embodying the City’s spirit Devonshire Square sits at the meeting point of Shoreditch’s creative energy and the City’s commercial core. Just two minutes from Liverpool Street station, Britain’s busiest by footfall, it offers a unique blend of history and modern vibrancy. Its restaurants and bars, including Cinnamon Kitchen, KöD [...]
Freedom of the city of London: more than just sheep on London Bridge December 9, 2025 If you mention the Freedom of the City of London, most people picture sheep crossing London Bridge – and yes, that quirky tradition still happens. But the Freedom is far more than a photo opportunity; it’s a living link to the City’s heritage and civic pride. Historical roots and medieval rights Dating back to the [...]
London Museum: inside the £400m cultural development at West Smithfield December 9, 2025 The London Museum is set to open at West Smithfield in 2026. It is one of Europe’s largest cultural developments and is backed by more than £400m in funding from the City of London Corporation and the Mayor of London, of which the City Corporation is contributing £222m. I recently toured the museum and met [...]
London’s history revisited: the incredible St. Bart’s Hospital restoration December 4, 2025 The City of London is where London began – founded by the Romans as Londinium around 47 AD, it’s the oldest part of the capital. It is a place where history is made; where Shakespeare lived and worked, where the London Stock Exchange took root, shaping global finance. And with more than 600 listed buildings, [...]
How the Square Mile is taking the fight to the fraudsters November 19, 2025 Fraud has towered over our economy for too long and has reached the highest levels since first measured in the crime survey for England and Wales. This deceitful crime now represents 44 per cent of all offences or 4.1 million incidents, with more than £1 billion lost to fraud last year alone. Behind those numbers [...]
Lady Mayor Susan Langley: My career has been completely accidental November 13, 2025 Susan Langley is the City's first titled Lady Mayor. Today, fresh from her inauguration, she takes us through her Square Mile career.
Reimagining 50 Fenchurch Street: A Sustainable Tower Rooted in the City’s Heritage November 6, 2025 The new development at 50 Fenchurch Street will deliver a 36-fold increase in public space on the ground floor level, with a public roof garden at the 10th floor level, while also providing 60,000 sq m of office space across 35 floors and 800 sq m of retail space. The plans also make provision for the Lambe’s Chapel [...]