40-519: Finsbury Square is a 0.7-hectare (1.7-acre) square in Finsbury in central London which includes a six-rink grass bowling green . It was developed in 1777 on the site of a previous area of green space to the north of the City of London known as Finsbury Fields , in the parish of St Luke's and near Moorfields . It is sited on the east side of City Road , opposite the east side of Bunhill Fields . It
80-418: A 220,000 sq ft office block. This was sold to Indonesian real estate conglomerate Sinar Mas Land in 2015. At around the same time the 1950s block, Royal London House, was converted into The Montcalm Hotel (completed in 2016). 51°31′15″N 0°05′11″W / 51.52089°N 0.08649°W / 51.52089; -0.08649 Finsbury Finsbury is a district of Central London , forming
120-512: A London coffee shop, Royal London was initially set up as a friendly society dedicated to serving the interest of its members and securing their financial security. Royal London became a mutual life assurance society in 1908. Other elements of the modern business are older than the primary brand: for example Royal Liver Assurance was founded in 1850, while the Irish business, until recently branded as Caledonian Life dates back to 1824, and represents
160-481: A Winged Bull, the heraldic symbol of St Luke. In 1965 the area merged with Islington to form the new London Borough of Islington , though Finsbury Circus remains part of the City of London . Urbanisation was slow, despite the building of a new gate in the adjacent London Wall , Moorgate , in 1511. In 1665 the Bunhill Fields burial ground was opened in the area. Building on Finsbury Fields began in
200-590: A large number of hospitals, but now only Moorfields Eye Hospital remains. The area included the following hospitals: Royal London Group The Royal London Mutual Insurance Society Limited , along with its subsidiaries, is the largest mutual insurer and investment company in the United Kingdom , and in the top 30 mutuals globally, with Group funds under management of £169 billion, as of March 2024. Group businesses provide 8.5 million policies and employ over 4,400 people, as of June 2024. Royal London
240-417: A transaction to acquire the open businesses of Resolution . These were the protection businesses Scottish Provident and Scottish Mutual; Phoenix Life Assurance Limited (formerly Abbey National Life) and Scottish Provident International. At the beginning of 2009 the offshore businesses Scottish Provident International and Scottish Life International were combined to form a new entity, Royal London 360° based in
280-473: Is a 150,000 sq ft office building built in 2014. It is occupied by the London Metal Exchange . The north side of the square is largely occupied by Triton Court at 14–18 Finsbury Square, a steel-frame constructed office building originally built during the first three decades of the twentieth century, along with Royal London House (22–25 Finsbury Square) which dates from the 1950s. The east of
320-461: Is approximately 200m north of Moorgate station , 300m north-west of Liverpool Street station and 400m south of Old Street station . Nearby locations are Finsbury Circus and Finsbury Pavement . Named after it, but several miles away, are Finsbury Park and its eponymous neighbourhood . The centre of the square includes an underground NCP Car Park and two disused petrol stations, also owned by NCP for above-ground commercial parking. Finsbury Square
360-463: Is not entirely clear how the territory and rights of the Soke evolved into the subsequent administrative and ecclesiastical units. The area covered by the Soke was served by two parishes; the little parish of St Botolph without Aldersgate served the extramural City Ward of Aldersgate Without , while the parish of St Giles-without-Cripplegate served the extramural City Ward of Cripplegate Without and
400-493: Is now occupied by City Gate House which was designed by Frederick Gould and Giles Gilbert Scott and completed in 1930. In 1784, Vincenzo Lunardi achieved the first successful hot air balloon flight in England from the adjacent Artillery Ground. The south side of the square was known as Sodomites Walk in the 18th century and was notorious as a gay cruising area. On 22 October 2011, Occupy London protesters began to camp on
440-429: Is served by bus routes 21 , 43 , 141 and 214 . In 1777 Finsbury Square was laid out as a planned quadrangle of terraced town houses surrounding a central garden. Beginning in the late 19th century, the houses began to be demolished to make way for large-scale commercial properties. Past residents of the square include Pascoe Grenfell Hill , Thomas Southwood Smith and Philip Henry Pye-Smith . It has also been
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#1732781056472480-623: Is the largest mutual life, pensions and investment company in the UK, while also providing protection products in Ireland . Royal London is registered in England with its head office in the City of London . It has other large offices in Alderley Park and Edinburgh , with smaller offices in Glasgow , Dublin , Lichfield & Liverpool . Founded in 1861 by Joseph Degge and Henry Ridge in
520-493: Is thought the estate may be much older dating back to the establishment of the Diocese of London in the 7th century. The churches of St Botolph without Aldersgate and St Giles-without-Cripplegate appear to have been built in the early decades of the twelfth century (possibly under the aegis of Matilda of Blessed Memory ) and there was very little, if any, development north of the wall before that time. St Martins rights to
560-637: The City " . Finsbury gave its name to two larger administrative areas: the Finsbury Division of the Ossulstone Hundred of Middlesex , from the 17th century until 1900, and from 1900 to 1965 the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury . The Metropolitan Borough included Finsbury (also known as St Luke's ) and Clerkenwell . The area should not be confused with Finsbury Park , a public space roughly 3 miles (5 km) to
600-567: The Walbrook to the east, it covered the areas subsequently known as Aldersgate Without and the parish of St Giles-without-Cripplegate (which included Cripplegate Without , the part of Coleman Street Ward north of the wall and the Manor of Finsbury). The Soke was granted to St. Martin's Le Grand by William the Conqueror in 1068, in exchange for prayers for the souls of his parents. It
640-461: The parliamentary borough of Finsbury was created to represent the area in parliament. This area loosely approximated to the Finsbury division , but also included parts of west London. In 1857 Finsbury Park was opened some three miles north, for the enjoyment of the residents of this parliamentary borough. The Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury in the County of London was created in 1900, covering
680-671: The Caledonian Insurance Company founded in Edinburgh in 1805. Royal London Asset Management (RLAM) a wholly owned subsidiary of the group was founded in 1988. RLAM employs 76 investment professionals, based in the company's London office. In 2013, Royal London signed a four-year deal to sponsor one day cricket in England and Wales , including domestic and international fixtures. On 31 December 2000 Royal London took over United Assurance Group plc. The transaction
720-723: The Isle of Man. This business was subject to a management buyout in November 2013. Royal London 360° rebranded to RL360° soon after the MBO . In 2010 Royal London announced that it was in talks with Royal Liver Assurance over a possible acquisition. Terms were agreed in 2011 and the delegates of Royal Liver voted for the takeover at their AGM on 12 May 2011 and the transfer was completed on 1 July. In 2013 The Co-operative Group agreed to sell its life & pensions and asset management businesses to Royal London. The proposed transaction gained
760-529: The Manor (estate) of Finsbury. In the 17th century, Little and Lower Moorfields, previously in the Manor of Finsbury and Parish of St Giles, was transferred to the Coleman Street Ward of the City of London (and also to the parish of St Stephen Coleman Street for religious purposes). This meant that Coleman Street Ward also possessed an extramural area. From mid-12th century the Manor of Finsbury
800-688: The Parish of St Luke) were part of the Hundred of Ossulstone in Middlesex . By the 17th century, population growth made this unit inefficient, so it was sub-divided with the area north of the walls becoming part of a new Finsbury Division which handled the responsibilities previously managed by the Hundred. Parish-level institutions continued to manage the Poor Law and ecclesiastical matters. In 1832
840-588: The Soke were confirmed by the Empress Matilda (daughter of Matilda of Blessed Memory ) around 1140. St Martins was permitted to enclose land there to prevent rubbish dumping in the area, but it is thought the Empress' principle intention was to promote planned development of a northern suburb. The development of streets such as Redcross Street, Whitecross Street, Grub Street, Fore Street, Moor Lane, Chiswell Street and others were subsequently recorded. It
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#1732781056472880-416: The addition of a double-height mansard roof and the insertion of a new entrance arch through the four-bay extension to the original Edwardian block. These are now the only remaining pre-World War II buildings in the square. After the completion of Triton Court, the 1950s block alone was left with the designation Royal London House. In 2013–15, Triton Court was developed by Resolution Property into Alphabeta,
920-468: The approval of Royal London members at an EGM in June 2013 and gained regulatory approval on 31 July 2013. In 2015 Caledonian Life, the group’s Irish business rebranded to become Royal London Ireland. At the end of 2015, Royal London completed the rebrand of its two UK protection businesses, Bright Grey and Scottish Provident to a new Royal London protection brand. This completed the group’s journey to become
960-576: The area of Finsbury (also known as St Luke's) and Clerkenwell, with Finsbury Town Hall located on Rosebery Avenue , Clerkenwell. In 1938, Dr. Chuni Lal Katial was elected mayor of Finsbury, making him the first Asian mayor in the United Kingdom. The Borough's coat of arms included an embattled chief (top of the shield) representing the London Wall, a Barbican representing the three northern gates (Aldersgate, Cripplegate and Moorgate) and
1000-648: The corner with City Road) dates from 1904 to 1905 and was built by John Belcher as headquarters for the Royal London Friendly Society; over the next ten years this building was extended eastwards by four bays. The adjacent, taller section, with its prominent tower-cum-spire, dates from 1929 to 1930; it was built by Belcher's former partner, J. J. Joass , to form an expanded headquarters for the Royal London Mutual Assurance Society. (A contemporary extension to
1040-430: The killing of Wat Tyler by Mayor William Walworth at Smithfield in 1381. In 1733, the growth of the local population, led to the part of St Giles-without-Cripplegate outside the city, the area which had been the Manor of Finsbury, being made an independent parish, known as St Luke's , after the parish church. The parts of the parish of St Giles outside of the city (originally the Manor of Finsbury, later organised as
1080-618: The late 17th century. The parish church of St Luke's was built in 1732–33, development was accelerated by the building of the City Road in 1765, and at the end of the 18th century a residential suburb was built with its centre at Finsbury Square . Little and Lower Moorfields remained open until Finsbury Circus was developed after 1815. In 1641 the Honourable Artillery Company moved to Finsbury, where it still remains. The City of London Yeomanry , founded at
1120-593: The line of the former City walls (now mostly covered by Finsbury Circus ) were historically part of the Manor of Finsbury and still sometimes described as part of the area. Finsbury Town Hall and the Finsbury Estate lie further west, in Clerkenwell and are named after the former borough of Finsbury which included both Finsbury and Clerkenwell. The Soke of Cripplegate was a landholding outside Cripplegate and Aldersgate . Bordered (in part at least) by
1160-495: The north of the Edwardian block was also built by Joass.) Finally, the whole complex was extended eastwards again in the 1950s with the addition of a block by the architect H. Bramhill. In the 1980s, the older (pre-1940s) buildings were all comprehensively redeveloped, by Sheppard Robson & Partners, to form a new office complex: Triton Court. The interiors were gutted and rebuilt, but the façades were retained , albeit with
1200-535: The north, which gives its name to its surrounding mainly residential area. The area lies immediately north of the City of London , and approximates to the part of the London Borough of Islington east of Goswell Road and south of City Road . It also includes a small area north of City Road, focused on the City Road Basin . The parts of the City of London's Coleman Street Ward that lie outside
1240-519: The prebendary manor or form part of it. The prebendary manor of Finsbury was, from 1315, leased by the Lord Mayor of London , so that after that the formal title of the Mayors has been Mayor of London and Lord of Finsbury . The mayoral manor house, Finsbury Court , lay on the junction of Chiswell Street and Finsbury Pavement. In this way the part of St Giles parish, Cripplegate Without , that
Finsbury Square - Misplaced Pages Continue
1280-712: The site of the Temple of the Muses , the bookshop of James Lackington and the first home of the rabbinical seminary that became the London School of Jewish Studies (1855–81), of the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Sophia and of the Roman Catholic Church of St Mary Moorfields (1820–1900). From 1907 to 1914, 39 Finsbury Square was the home of the City of London Yeomanry . The site
1320-463: The southeastern part of the London Borough of Islington . It borders the City of London . The Manor of Finsbury is first recorded as Vinisbir (1231) and means "manor of a man called Finn". Finsbury lay just outside Cripplegate (and on its later construction, Moorgate ) in London Wall . At that time, much of the manor was part of the "great fen which washed against the northern wall of
1360-480: The square is City Gate House, 39–45 Finsbury Square. Finsbury Square is also the venue for an occasional farmers' market. The buildings on the north side of the square were built over the first half of the twentieth century to serve as headquarters for what is now the Royal London Group ; collectively they were known as Royal London House. The oldest (westernmost) section (with its cupola and clock on
1400-550: The square is occupied by Grant Thornton accountants and auditors at 30 Finsbury Square, and the University of Liverpool in London at 33 Finsbury Square. In November 2019, City, University of London announced that it had acquired 33 Finsbury Square on a lease. The university's Bayes Business School (formerly Cass Business School) will occupy the building, as well as significantly remodelling its Bunhill Row campus. The south of
1440-510: The square. They were subsequently removed in an eviction described by the council as 'peaceful and low key'. In January 2013, the University of Liverpool announced that its London Campus would be at 33 Finsbury Square. Also in 2013 a memorial was installed at the SW of the square commemorating those who died in the 1975 Moorgate tube crash . On the west side of the square, 10 Finsbury Square
1480-598: The time of the Second Boer War , made its headquarters in Finsbury Square. In 1862 Finsbury gave its name to a volunteer infantry unit — the Finsbury Rifles , which recruited in both Finsbury and Clerkenwell, and saw distinguished service in several conflicts. Before Harley Street rose to prominence, Finsbury was London's principal medical district. In the mid-19th century it was home to
1520-507: Was owned by St Paul's cathedral and managed as a Prebendary Manor to provide a prebend (a stipend of money or goods) to support an ecclesiastic person such as a canon , or an institution. For a long time the prebendary income went to Holywell Priory in nearby Shoreditch , so the estate became known as the Prebend of Halliwell and Finsbury , though the Priory itself did not lie adjacent to
1560-544: Was part of the city was also known as The Freedom and governed by the Mayor as a part of, or a dependency of the city. The remaining part, The Manor of Finsbury , was also known as The Lordship , where the Mayor's position was that of a lessee, albeit with the title Lord of the Manor of Finsbury . Other accounts suggest the Manor passed to the Lord Mayors later, being made over their use by Richard II , in gratitude for
1600-663: Was the largest acquisition of a quoted UK company by a mutual. United Assurance Group itself had been formed by the merger of United Friendly and Refuge Assurance in October 1996. On 2 October 2000 it was announced that Royal London would acquire Scottish Life, the Edinburgh-based pension specialist. Transfer took place on 1 July 2001. In March 2003 Royal London launched a new start up protection business, Bright Grey based in Edinburgh. In May 2008 Royal London concluded
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