Cannon Street
| Cannon Street | |
| Location | City of London, UK |
| Length | 0.5 miles (0.80 km) |
|---|---|
| Direction | West-East |
| Start | King William Street |
| End | St. Paul's Churchyard |
Cannon Street is a road in the south of the City of London. It runs roughly parallel with the River Thames, about 250 metres north of it. It is the site of the ancient London Stone, and of Cannon Street railway station.
[edit] Etymology
The area around Cannon Street was the place of residence of the candle makers and in the Middle Ages the street was known as Candelwrichstrete. The name was shortened several times as a result of the local cockney dialect and settled on Cannon Street in the 17th century.[1] Cannon Street in Birmingham, according to the archives of Birmingham Central Library, is named after the City of London street.
[edit] Overview
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Cannon Street starts at St Paul's Cathedral, and goes east, meeting Queen Victoria Street near Mansion House tube station, passing Cannon Street station, and finally meeting King William Street and Gracechurch Street near Monument tube station.
In the late 19th century Cannon Street was occupied by large wholesale warehouses, especially of cotton goods and other fabrics.[2]
The London Stone, from which distances were measured in Roman times, was originally situated in the middle of Cannon Street. It was later set into the wall of St Swithin's Church,[2] and now rests in a case to the side of the street.
It is the street upon which singer Marc Almond suffered a near fatal crash in 2004 whilst riding pillion on a motorcycle.
Where Queen Street crosses Cannon Street there is a pedestrian-priority "Central Plaza" area. This was part of an award-winning public realm improvement scheme undertaken in 2006.[3]
The Marathon route of the 2012 London Olympics is planned to pass along Cannon Street.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ Smith, A., Dictionary of City of London Street Names, (1970), David & Charles
- ^ a b Dickens, Charles, Jr (1879). "Cannon Street". Dickens's Dictionary of London. http://www.victorianlondon.org/dickens/dickens-cha.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
- ^ City of London Corporation Queen Street public realm
- ^ London 2012 Proposed Marathon Route
