The
Liverpool Street area is part of the City of London as defined by
the old city walls, sits on the north side of the River Thames to
the east of the area where most visitors go.
The heart of the City of London is now and always has been the commercial
heart of London. The riverfront between the Tower of London and Blackfriars
used to be the port of London. That has long vanished but the dense
network of alleys and lanes behind the shore still remains, including
the infamous Pudding Lane, starting place of the Fire Of London. |
Millenium
Bridge & St Paul's Cathedral |
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The
history of the City of London is very interesting stretching back
to the Roman times when the river was three times the width it now
is.
The London Museum, north of St Paul's Cathedral at Barbican is recommended,
(free admission) as it tells the story of London to the present day.The
central commercial area around Bank is quite atmospheric with much
fine architecture and olde worlde pubs and half forgotten churches.
During the week this area is throbbing with activity, at weekends
its like a ghost town with most of the shops closed.
The Bank of England has a (free) museum that is interesting if you
are half interested in money.Liverpool
Street Station sits to the north of the district. For visitors it
is most noteworthy as the terminus for the Stansted Express train
to Stansted Airport. Apart for some accommodation around the Tower
of London, most visitors will transfer immediately to points further
west. |
Otherwise,
Liverpool Street is mainly for locals with lots of commuter services
to North London, Essex and Anglia.
The station has all the facilities and shops you would expect of a
major railway station. The left luggage facility is run by the Excess
Baggage Company, who run the left luggage facilities at all of London's
railway stations.
Because of the station the area around stays open during the weekend.
The neighbouring Petticoat Lane market is a draw on Sundays, but most
people agree it is a shadow of what it was. Camden Market and Portobello
Road markets are more of interest to the visitor nowadays
The main area of interest to the visitor is around the Tower of London.
There are several large hotels in the area, but they are not budget
hotels. This area, and the area on the opposite side of the river
has been developed in the last couple of decades from an area of old
dock warehouses to one of the nicest areas of London for visitors
to relax.
Especially on the south side of the river there is a great riverside
walk, atmospheric streets and a great choice of restaurants as well
as a couple of shopping centres housed in restored buildings.
Shops
and Services
In the city of London, everything is geared around the needs of the
workforce, not visitors. There is a lot of pubs and sandwich shops
geared to the local workforce. At weekends the place is dead like
a ghost town.
The only area that in terms of shops and services required by the
visitor is by the Tower of London and most of all across the river
in Southwark. |
Public
Transport & Visitor Attractions
Liverpool
Street is a transport hub for getting around London. There are 4 underground
lines and countless buses radiating out to all parts of Central London.
There is also a bus station at Aldgate and many buses stream from
the East End of London past Aldgate or the Tower of London to the
West End. Normally you will not have to wait more than 3-4 minutes
for a bus.
The Waterloo to Bank underground line is an oddity. It only runs during
the week and is there to ferry workers from the commercial area to
Waterloo, a major commuter station. |
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