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Venue of the Week - Banking Hall London

Banking Hall is a truly exquisite and unique venue in the heart of London’s Square Mile. A venue that has been designed to impress, surrounded by towering marble columns and stunning Art Deco décor, clients can host events with a touch of Great Gatbsy glamour in an excellent location. At the very centre of London’s famous financial district, Banking Hall straddles Cornhill and Lombard Street, overlooking the Bank of England.
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Banking Hall History

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The Grade II listed Main Hall was designed in the 1930s and has a unique Art Deco charm.   The building was the Former HQ for Lloyds TSB at 15-22 Cornhill within a very specific historic context.  The City of London, once the sum total of what is now a very large metropolis became, over time, a world unto itself, with an economy that was almost entirely based on banking and financial services.  You may be forgiven for thinking, what's changed?  

 

 

 

The City of London

 

The area around Cornhill and Lombard Street has seen many periods of accelerated change economically and architecturally.

 

  • The arrival of the banking businesses in the 19th Century created a unique character with a built heritage that pays tribute to internationally renowned architects

  •  The city had a medieval past, with road names such as, Cornhill, Poultry, Bread Street and Milk Street reflecting the various trades dominating the medieval city

  • The presence of alleyways and lanes reflects the post-Roman development of the City

  • The Bank junction outside Banking Hall is a substantial open space, with historic major routes leading towards Westminster, London Bridge, and the city's former gates leading from it.

 

London as a Global Financial Centre

 

The establishment of the City of London as a global financial centre has its origins in the 18th Century, when the first purpose built banks were established.  Due to the nature of the townscape, many of these properties were built on smaller historic plots, maintaining the early street patterns, apart from the notable exceptions such as the Bank of England and the Mansion House.  

 

 

Lloyd's History & Development

 

Lloyd's emergence as a major clearing bank only took place in the early 20th century, but its origins can be traced to 1765, when a bank called 'Taylors and Lloyds' was set up in Birmingham by Samson Lloyd II, John Taylor and their son; operating as a private bank from a single office of over 100 years, it was initially, a small enterprise. However, by the 20th century, following a succession of takeovers, Lloyd's had developed into a major bank, based at the heart of the City's financial district.  In the 1920s, therefore, it was decided to move from their Lombard Street offices to a major new location:

  • Purpose built
  • Heavily branded
  • In a prominent location
  • Symbolically close to the Royal Exchange and the Bank of England

 

Lloyd's new HQ were designed by Sir John Burnet, Tait & Lorne, a relatively short-lived firm, which represented a merger between 3 Scottish architects.  Sir John Burnet is perhaps best known for his extensive work in the Baroque style in Glasgow, as well as the heavily neo-classicist Edward VII galleries at the British Museum.  Thomas Smith Tait, some 25 years Burnet's junior, was more heavily influenced by modernist ideas, with his principal works including the Pylons of Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Daily Telegraph office on Fleet Street, and the HQ of the Scottish government - St Andrew's House.  

The Banking Hall

Early images show that the Banking Hall, designed with grandeur in mind, was also designed to serve a variety of purposes; as well as the offices necessary to ensure the operation of a major clearing bank, the Banking Hall served just that purpose, operating as a banking floor for face to face transactions.  The Banking Hall was an attempt to reassure Lloyd's customers that their bank was a substantial and safe institution.  Lloyd's occupied the building from 1930 to 2002, when they departed for new offices on Gresham Street, paving the way for Camm & Hooper to later acquire it for use as a historic venue for corporate and private events.  

 

Events at Banking Hall

 

Banking Hall accommodates groups ranging from 150 to 900 in exceptional glamour.  A venue very much designed to impress, Banking Hall is a unique event space at the heart of London’s prestigious Square Mile. With a Mezzanine level that looks out over the Bank of England, the space is flexible and can be adapted to accommodate customer needs – whether for a dinner, standing reception, wedding banquet, conference or exhibition.  

 

Type

Min to Max

Banquet Style

100 to 300

Classroom Style

50 to 150

Reception Style

100 to 900

Cabaret Style

100 to 200

Dinner Dance Style

100 to 260

 

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