: ''See
Bishopsgate Insurance for the Australian insurance company bankrupted in 1982.''
'Bishopsgate' is a road and
ward in the east part of the
City of London, extending north from
Gracechurch Street to
Norton Folgate. It is named after one of the original seven gates in
London Wall. The site of this gate is marked by a stone
Bishop's
Mitre, fixed high on a building, at the junction of
Wormwood Street and
Camomile Street with Bishopsgate. Originally
Roman, the gate was rebuilt by the
Hansa merchants in 1471 in exchange for the
steelyard privileges. Its final form was built in 1735 by the City authorities and demolished in 1760. This gate often displayed the heads of criminals on spikes. The Wall (which is no longer extant in this sector) divided the ward into an intramural portion called Bishopsgate Within and an extramural portion called Bishopsgate Without. The Bishopsgate thoroughfare forms part of the
A10 and the section to north of the site of the original Gate is the start of Roman
Ermine Street, also known as the 'Old North Road'.

Bishopsgate-Street Ward in 1720.
The
parish church for the area of Bishopsgate Without is
Saint Botolph's. This is situated just to the north of the original Gate on the west side of the road.
Bishopsgate was originally the location of many
coaching inns which accommodated passengers setting out on the Old North Road. These, though they survived the
Great Fire of London, have now all been demolished. Also demolished (but then re-erected in
Chelsea) was the old
Crosby Hall, at one time the residence of
Richard III of England and
Thomas More. The 17th century facade of Peter Pindar's (
John Wolcot) House, on Bishopsgate was also preserved and can now be seen in the
Victoria and Albert Museum.
Bishopsgate is the site of
Liverpool Street station, the notable
public house Dirty Dick's, the
Bishopsgate Institute,
St Ethelburga's church, and many offices.
On the
24 April 1993 it was the site of a
Provisional Irish Republican Army truck bomb, which killed journalist Ed Henty, injured over 40 people and caused £350,000,000 worth of damage, including the destruction of St Ethelburga's church, and serious damage to Liverpool St.
Tube Station. Police had received a coded warning, but were still evacuating the area at the time of the explosion. The insurance payments required were so enormous, that
Lloyd's of London almost went bankrupt under the strain, and there was a crisis in the London insurance market. The area had already suffered damage from the
Baltic Exchange bombing the year before.
The street is home to the main London offices of several major
banks including the
Royal Bank of Scotland,
ABN AMRO and the
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
In June 2005, plans were unveiled for the
Bishopsgate Tower, a huge
skyscraper to be built at the northern end of the road.

Looking north from a pedestrian bridge across Bishopsgate

Bishopsgate, in the heart of London's financial district. Seen here is
Tower 42 formerly owned by NatWest
See also
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Fortifications of London
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City gate
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City wall
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99 Bishopsgate
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100 Bishopsgate
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110 Bishopsgate
★
Bishopsgate Tower
External links
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Map
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Ward map from the Corporation of London
★
Guide to Pubs and Bars in Bishopsgate