Tower is one of the 25

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

s of the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

and takes its name from its proximity to the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

. The ward covers the area of the City that is closest to the Tower.

Overview

Prior to boundary changes in 2003, Tower contained all of Great Tower Street and historically was known as "Tower Street" ward. John Leake's 1667 map of the City refers to it as "Tower Street Ward", as does a 1755 map of the ward. However, it lost much ground to neighbouring Billingsgate ward in a 2003 review of ward boundaries, including nearly all of Great Tower Street. It did though gain land to the north of the Tower of London, including Minories. The resident population of the ward is 227 (2011). Despite its name, the Tower of London has never formed part of the ward or, for that matter, of the wider City of London; it is actually located within the

London Borough of Tower Hamlets The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London boroughs, borough in London, England. Situated on the north bank of the River Thames and immediately east of the City of London, the borough spans much of the traditional East End of London and ...

. Furthermore,

Tower Bridge Tower Bridge is a Listed building#Grade I, Grade I listed combined Bascule bridge, bascule, Suspension bridge, suspension, and, until 1960, Cantilever bridge, cantilever bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894, designed by Horace Jones ...

does not fall within the City or Tower ward's boundaries, although the bridge does use the City's logo as it was built by the

Bridge House Estates City Bridge Foundation is the working name of the historic Bridge House Estates, which originated in the late eleventh century and was formally established by royal charter in 1282 by the City of London Corporation in London, England. It is a reg ...

Notable sites

Two notable churches are located within Tower ward. All Hallows-by-the-Tower on Byward Street was the church from which

Samuel Pepys Samuel Pepys ( ; 23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English writer and Tories (British political party), Tory politician. He served as an official in the Navy Board and Member of Parliament (England), Member of Parliament, but is most r ...

famously watched the

Great Fire of London The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through central London from Sunday 2 September to Wednesday 5 September 1666, gutting the medieval City of London inside the old London Wall, Roman city wall, while also extendi ...

unfold in September 1666.

St Olave Hart Street St Olave's Church, Hart Street, is a Church of England church in the City of London, located on the corner of Hart Street and Seething Lane near Fenchurch Street railway station. John Betjeman described St Olave's as "a country church in the w ...

was remarked by

John Betjeman Sir John Betjeman, (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architect ...

as a country church in the middle of the busiest city on earth.

St Dunstan-in-the-East St Dunstan-in-the-East was a Church of England parish church on St Dunstan's Hill, halfway between London Bridge and the Tower of London in the City of London. The church was largely destroyed in the Second World War and the ruins are now a publi ...

, on St Dunstan's Hill, was largely destroyed during

the Blitz The Blitz (English: "flash") was a Nazi Germany, German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom, for eight months, from 7 September 1940 to 11 May 1941, during the Second World War. Towards the end of the Battle of Britain in 1940, a co ...

of World War II; its ruins and grounds are now a public garden.''Vanished churches of the City of London'' by Huelin, G.: London, Guildhall Library Publishing 1996 Other buildings of note include the old London Corn Exchange (now offices) on Mark Lane, the former

Port of London Authority The Port of London Authority (PLA) is a self-funding public trust established on 31 March 1909 in accordance with the Port of London Act 1908 to govern the Port of London. Its responsibility extends over the Tideway of the River Thames and its ...

headquarters on Trinity Square (the PLA maintains an office nearby on Harp Lane), and the livery hall of the Worshipful Company of Bakers on Harp Lane. AllHallowsByTheTowerChurch

Fenchurch Street railway station Fenchurch Street railway station, also known as London Fenchurch Street, is a London station group, central London railway terminus in the southeastern corner of the City of London. It takes its name from its proximity to Fenchurch Street, a ke ...

and

Tower Gateway DLR station Tower Gateway is a Docklands Light Railway (DLR) station in the City of London and is located near the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. It adjoins the tracks to Fenchurch Street railway station, Fenchurch Street station and is located on the si ...

are situated within the ward. It also contains some notable streets such as Minories; Pepys Street, where the diarist once lived; Savage Gardens, named after Sir Thomas Savage Bt who lived there during the 17th century; Crutched Friars, named after the religious order of the same name whose Italian branch settled there in the 13th century; and

America Square America Square is a street and small square in London, off Crosswall and located near Minories. The square was built in about 1760 and dedicated to the American colonies. America Square was developed as part of Square, Crescent and Circus und ...

, which dates to the 18th century and was dedicated to the American colonies.

Politics

Tower is one of 25

s in the

, each electing an

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

to the

Court of Aldermen The Court of Aldermen forms part of the senior governance of the City of London Corporation. It comprises twenty-five Aldermen of the City of London, presided over by the Lord Mayor (becoming senior Alderman during his or her year of office). ...

and commoners (the City equivalent of a

councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...

) to the

Court of Common Council The Court of Common Council is the primary decision-making body of the City of London Corporation. It meets nine times per year. Most of its work is carried out by committees. City of London Corporation elections , Elections are held at least eve ...

of the

City of London Corporation The City of London Corporation, officially and legally the Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London, is the local authority of the City of London, the historic centre of London and the location of much of the United Kingdom's f ...

. Only electors who are freemen of the City of London are eligible to stand.

References

External links

City of London Police Ward Constable profileWard newsletter
- Historical Map and Encyclopedia of Shakespeare's London (Scholarly)
Ward of Tower
– The official Ward website {{City of London wards Wards of the City of London