Description
George Yard had long existed as a narrow alleyway and was opened out in 1929-32 to provide a large paved courtyard as office development took place, becoming George Square. It has changed over the C20th as new building has taken place. In 1986-94 Barclays Bank built new premises here with the main entrance onto George Square, where 5 decorative reliefs commissioned for the Bank's previous premises at Lombard Street were mounted, showing old street signs of former properties and occupants of the site. The courtyard is largely hard landscaped.
Practical Information
| Site location | George Yard |
|---|---|
| Postcode | EC3V 9EA |
| What3Words | ///roofs.rests.mime |
| Type of Site | Square |
| Borough | City of London |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Tube: Bank (Central, DLR, Northern, Waterloo & City) / Monument (Circle, District). |
| Research Updated | 1 June 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
George Yard had long existed as a narrow alleyway and was opened out in 1929-32 to provide a large paved courtyard as office development took place here, becoming George Square. It has changed over the C20th as new building takes place, most recently when Barclays Bank, which has had premises on Lombard Street since 1728, built new premises in 1986-94 and has its main entrance onto George Square. Five decorative reliefs commissioned in 1946 from Sir Charles Wheeler for the Bank's previous premises at 54 Lombard Street are now mounted to the wall near the bank entrance, showing old street signs of former properties and occupants of the site. The courtyard is largely hard landscaped with some planting. Across George Square is the small garden of the former churchyard of St Edmund the King and Martyr (q.v.).
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ328810 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | City of London Corporation |
| Site Management | Department of Technical Services |
| Dates | 1929-32; 1986-94 |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | City of London |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Bank |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
The church is likely to be of Saxon origin and is dedicated to Edmund, the King of East Anglia who died in 870 attempting to escape the attacking Danes. It was also known as St Edmund's Grass-church due to the grass market once held nearby. It was burnt down in the Great Fire and rebuilt under the supervision of Wren; it was later restored in 1864 and again following WWII damage. In 2001 it became the London Centre for Spirituality. The existence of the churchyard is referred to in 1220; it closed for burials in 1853 and now has a small enclosed garden. Among those buried here was John Shute (d.1563), an architect who published what may be the first work on practical architecture in England. Joseph Addison, the celebrated essayist and politician, married Charlotte, Countess Dowager of Warwick and Holland, at St Edmund's in 1716.
St Michael's Church is of early origin, known to have been given to the Abbey and Convent of Evesham in 1055, and in 1503 it was conveyed to the Drapers' Company. The south side of the church had a cloister, and a pulpit cross was erected in the churchyard in 1528. The church was originally open to the north to Cornhill with a small churchyard but this was sold and built over between 1547-53. The church was destroyed in the Great Fire and rebuilt by 1672, the tower initially repaired then rebuilt by 1721. Some of Wren's work was lost when St Michael's was remodelled in 1857-60 by Sir George Gilbert Scott. Many famous people were buried here, including Robert Fabian, John Stow's father and grandfather, and Sir William Cowper. The former churchyard was laid out as a garden with lawns, flower beds, shrubs and trees, and a row of benches against the church wall.
Although the first written reference to St Peter Cornhill is in 1040, there is a legend that the church was founded in AD179 by Lucius, first Christian King of Britain. A Roman wall passed beneath the north-east corner of the church. Destroyed in the Great Fire, the present church was built by Wren in 1677-84. There was a churchyard by 1231 to the south of the church, which was mentioned by Charles Dickens in 'Our Mutual Friend', who described the graves 'conveniently and healthfully elevated above the living'. The churchyard is now laid out as public gardens with a raised area of grass, trees and shrubbery on either side of the path from the entrance on St Peter's Alley. Surmounted on the Victorian wrought iron gates is a small figure of St Peter. The garden was re-landscaped in 1997.
