Bank Junction

{{Short description|Road junction in the City of London}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2014}}

{{Use British English|date=November 2014}}

{{Infobox road junction

|country=GBR

|road_type=Street

|name=Bank Junction

|image=Bank junction from 22 Bishopsgate.jpg

|image_caption=Bank Junction in 2023, viewed from 22 Bishopsgate

|other_names=

|location=City of London

|coord={{coord|51.513433|-0.089045|region:GB_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}

|roads=Threadneedle Street, Cornhill, Lombard Street, King William Street, Mansion House Place, Walbrook, Mansion House Street, Queen Victoria Street, Poultry, Prince's Street

|type=Junction

|const=

|opened=

|height=

|maint=City of London Corporation

|tolls=Within the London congestion charge zone

|map=

}}

{{Location map

| United Kingdom London City of London

| lat=51.513433

| long=-0.089045

| caption=Location of Bank Junction in the City of London

}}

Bank Junction is a major road junction in the City of London, the historic and financial centre of London, at (or by) which nine streets converge and where traffic is controlled by traffic lights and give-way lines. It is named after the nearby Bank of England. Directly underneath it is one of the ticket halls of Bank station, one of the busiest stations on the London Underground.

Street network

The streets which originate at Bank Junction are:Ordnance Survey mapping

King William Street, a major thoroughfare, begins just south of the junction, leading off Lombard Street.

Since May 2017, the junction has been closed to all vehicles except buses and pedal cycles from 7am to 7pm, Monday to Friday, on an experimental basis.{{cite web |title=Bank on Safety scheme |url=https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/services/streets/bank-on-safety |website=City of London |access-date=11 February 2021 |language=en}}

Notable sites

Standing on the northeast corner of this junction is the Bank of England, headquartered on Threadneedle Street since 1734 and thus sometimes known by the metonym The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street, or simply The Old Lady. Across that street and nestled in the gap between Cornhill is the commercial centre the Royal Exchange, founded in 1565 by Thomas Gresham, after whom the nearby Gresham Street is named.

Outside the main entrance to the Royal Exchange is an equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington overlooking Bank Junction; it was inaugurated in June 1844. Also in front of the Royal Exchange is the London Troops War Memorial, commemorating those Londoners who served and died in World War I and World War II. There is also a statue of James Henry Greathead, responsible for an improved tunnelling shield which enabled construction of London's deep-level Underground lines.

File:Bank Station, one entrance - geograph.org.uk - 1835302.jpg

To the south of the junction is Mansion House. This has been the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London since its completion in 1752. Other notable buildings close to Bank Junction include the City of London Magistrates' Court on Walbrook, No 1 Poultry, the Worshipful Company of Grocers, off Princes Street, and the Worshipful Company of Mercers, on Threadneedle Street.

References

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