
Photo: John Salmon, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
St Mary-at-Hill is a Church of England parish church in the Ward of Billingsgate, City of London. It is situated on Lovat Lane, a cobbled street off Eastcheap.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
The ruins of a church dating back to Saxon times, rebuilt by St Dunstan in 950, destroyed in the Great Fire of London, and then rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren in 1697. Most of the church was destroyed during the blitz, leaving only the tower (dating from Wren's time) and hollowed-out walls (from an 1817 reconstruction). The ruins are now overgrown with picturesque vines and trees, and were converted into a public garden in 1967, complete with benches.
The Sky Garden
The unusual "walkie scorchie" profile of this skyscraper by Rafael Vinoly has seen it grab the headlines, as did the "death rays" caused by the sun's heat reflecting off the building onto the street below when it was first completed; car tyres melted and burst, and at least one man fried an egg using only the heat from the walkie talkie. Visitors can access the sky garden to see a magnificent view over the City and beyond; it's the only place you can't see the tower from! Online booking to visit during the day is essential. Alternatively, you can eat at one of the restaurants in the evening.
Designed by Sir Christopher Wren, this tall column (which can be ascended to get a great view) marks the alleged site where the Great Fire of London broke out in September 1666.
Su Catholic Church of England with bells and smells (incense). There is an impressive model of the old London Bridge.
The headquarters of world's most famous insurance market, housed in a revolutionary (at the time) bizarre, Matrix-like glass-and-steel building designed by Richard Rogers, with all support services (lifts, ventilation, etc.) suspended outside. Recognised as a masterpiece of exoskeleton architecture.