Description
Tower Place was initially laid out in 1962-66 to the west and south of All Hallows-by-the-Tower Church to provide public open space when 16-storey office buildings were erected. A large open space with 2 courtyards was created, granite setts to the north demarcating land once part of the churchyard. The area was entirely redeveloped in 1992-2002 in a scheme that included a new public plaza with seating, trees and water adjacent to All Hallows Church, partly sheltered by the 26m glass atrium that connects the two office buildings.
Practical Information
| Site location | Lower Thames Street/Byward Street |
|---|---|
| Postcode | EC3 |
| What3Words | ///sums.carry.pilots |
| Type of Site | Square |
| Borough | City of London |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Tube: Tower Hill (District, Circle) |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Tower Place was laid out to the west and south of All Hallows by the Tower (q.v.) in 1962-66 to provide public open space when office buildings were erected here, a joint scheme of London County Council, Corporation of London and the then Borough of Stepney, now London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Sir Basil Spence was the consultant architect. The site was a large open space with two courtyards; to the north granite setts demarcated land that had been formerly part of the churchyard, the rest paved. The Bowring Building had a courtyard with planters and a sculpture by John Robinson 'The Hammer Thrower' (1973) and a number of mature trees including plane, cherry, beech. The southern courtyard provided views of the river.
The area was redeveloped between 1992-2002 with a new low-rise office development of two buildings joined by an immense glazed atrium by Foster + Partners replacing the 16-storey high buildings of the 1960s. The development sought to restore the site's traditional urban grain, reinstating historical views and creating a new public plaza with trees and water in front of All Hallows Church. Designed by Townshend Landscape Architects, the new space is partly sheltered by Tower Place Atrium and incorporates two designated City Walkways, inviting people to use it as a thoroughfare or as a sheltered place to meet friends and colleagues throughout the day.
The area was redeveloped between 1992-2002 with a new low-rise office development of two buildings joined by an immense glazed atrium by Foster + Partners replacing the 16-storey high buildings of the 1960s. The development sought to restore the site's traditional urban grain, reinstating historical views and creating a new public plaza with trees and water in front of All Hallows Church. Designed by Townshend Landscape Architects, the new space is partly sheltered by Tower Place Atrium and incorporates two designated City Walkways, inviting people to use it as a thoroughfare or as a sheltered place to meet friends and colleagues throughout the day.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ333806 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | City of London Corporation |
| Site Management | Open Spaces Dept., Highway Planting |
| Dates | 1962-6; 1992-2002 |
| Designers | Sir Basil Spence (1960s); Foster + Partners/Townshend Landscape Architects (1992-2002) |
| 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 | Tower |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Thames Policy Area |
| Other LA Designation | Strategic View - Consultation Area; Monument Views and Setting. City Walkway Network |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
The Abbey of Barking owned land in the City and built a small church here c.AD675, hence the church's former name. There is evidence of a Saxon church and Saxon coffins have been found, also a section of C2nd Roman pavement. Samuel Pepys, William Penn and John Quincy-Adams, later the 6th President of the USA, are among those associated with the church. Much of the old church, which had survived the Fire of London, was destroyed in WWII, the new building dedicated in 1957. The churchyard was once larger, reduced when Tower Hill Terrace was created in the east and Tower Place in the south. Closed for burials in the 1850s it was being used as public open space by 1875. The remaining garden area lies at the east end of the church, with areas of grass, trees and shrubs with some tombs and gravestones. In the 1990s a restaurant adjoining the garden was built as part of improvement works.
Tower Hill Terrace to the east of All Hallows by the Tower is a paved plaza laid out at the instigation of Tower Hill Improvement Trust. At the boundary with the churchyard garden are gate piers in memory of Sir Follett Holt, first Chairman of the Tower Hill Improvement Trust, who died 20 March 1944. The Trust had been established in 1933. The terrace was created as a viewing platform, built on the site of a bombed warehouse.
Seething Lane Gardens is important for its associations with Samuel Pepys and it forms a green square in this part of the City. This was the site of the Navy Office, founded in 1656, in the garden of which Pepys and Sir William Penn reputedly buried their wine and parmesan cheese for safety from the Fire of London on 4 September 1666. A new Navy Office was built in 1682-3 but was demolished in 1788 when warehouses were built, replaced in 1910 by the Port of London Building. In the 1950s, a simple rectangular public garden was created here, bounded by railings and laid out symmetrically with a central path, well-shaded by trees, with rose beds to commemorate permission given in 1381 to Sir Robert Knollys to construct a bridge across Seething Lane (since vanished) for which the City annually charged him one red rose. In 1983 a bronze bust of Pepys was erected in the garden by the Samuel Pepys Club with funds raised by public subscription. In 2018 the gardens were completely redesigned when 10 Trinity Square was redeveloped as a luxury hotel.
