City of London (1)

I thought it was about time to look at the City of London, where many of my early clock photographs were taken but not so far represented on this blog. The high numbers of clocks in the City mean that it is easier to approach the topic on an individual basis rather than attempting complete coverage in a small number of postings. This means that the City will be tackled on a random basis, interspersed between more complete coverage of other urban areas.

For those of you who are not familiar with the terminology, the City of London is only one (small) part of the London conurbation. It is the historic heart of the city, and is home to a world financial centre. It is often called the Square Mile (covering an area of 1.12 square miles) and is governed by the City of London Corporation.

My random start, City of London number 1, is St Mary Woolnoth church on Lombard Street.

The building is Nicholas Hawksmoor's only church in the City, and dates from 1716 - 1727. The church sits between Lombard Street and King William Street, but has this projecting clock on the Lombard Street side only. This is perhaps explained by the fact that the other side was not exposed to view until King William Street was built in 1829.

This is a nice octagonal clock which looks in good condition, but unfortunately was not showing anywhere the right time when this photo was taken. So not a good start for the City of London.