Lloyd's building

Lloyd's of London, generally known simply as Lloyd's, is an insurance and reinsurance market located in London, United Kingdom. Unlike most of its competitors in the industry, it is not an insurance company; rather, Lloyd's is a corporate body governed by the Lloyd's Act 1871 and subsequent Acts of Parliament. It operates as a partially-mutualised marketplace within which multiple financial backers, grouped in syndicates, come together to pool and spread risk. These underwriters, or "members", are a collection of both corporations and private individuals, the latter being traditionally known as "Names". The business underwritten at Lloyd's is predominantly general insurance and reinsurance, although a small number of syndicates write term life assurance. The market has its roots in marine insurance and was founded by Edward Lloyd at his coffee house on Tower Street in c. 1686. Today, it has a dedicated building on Lime Street within which business is transacted at each syndicate's "box" in the underwriting "Room", with the insurance policy documentation being known traditionally as a "slip".The market's motto is Fidentia, Latin for "confidence", and it is closely associated with the Latin phrase uberrima fides, or "utmost good faith", representing the relationship between underwriters and brokers.Having survived multiple scandals and significant challenges through the second half of the 20th century, most notably the asbestosis affair, Lloyd's today promotes its strong financial "chain of security" available to promptly pay all valid claims. As of 2019 this chain consisted of £52.8 billion of syndicate-level assets, £27.6bn of members' "funds at Lloyd's" and over £4.4bn in a third mutual link which includes the Central Fund.In 2020 there were 76 syndicates managed by 50 managing agencies that collectively wrote £35.5bn of gross premiums on risks placed by 350 brokers. Of those premiums 53 per cent emanated from North America, 27 per cent from Europe and 20 per cent from the rest of the world. Direct insurance represented 65 per cent of the premiums, mostly covering property and casualty (liability), while the remaining 35 per cent was reinsurance.

East India House was the London headquarters of the East India Company, from which much of British India was governed until the British government took control of the Company's possessions in India in 1858. It was located in Leadenhall Street in the City of London. The first East India House on the site was an Elizabethan mansion, previously known as Craven House, which the Company first occupied in 1648. This was completely rebuilt in 1726–29; and further remodelled and extended in 1796–1800. It was demolished in 1861. The Lloyd's building, headquarters for Lloyd's of London, was built on the site of the former East India House.

Lime Street is one of the 25 ancient wards of the City of London. It is divided into four precincts; and it is worthy a remark that, though the ward includes parts of several parishes, there is not even a whole street in it. (John Noorthhouck, 1773) It takes its name from the production of lime in the vicinity during medieval times. It is bounded to the north by Camomile Street, the division with Bishopsgate ward, before travelling due south along its eastern extremity, St. Mary Axe (which separates it from Aldgate ward), then south-west to the southernmost point of the ward (where Lime Street itself makes a small peninsula into Langbourn ward), cutting through Leadenhall Market and from there northwards up Gracechurch Street with the ward of Cornhill to the west. Just outside the ward boundary to the east is St Ethelburga's Bishopsgate, bombed by the IRA in 1993 and restored through generous donations, such as that provided by the Lime Street Ward Club.A well organised ward, it has a long association with the insurance industry, with the specialist market Lloyd's of London based within its boundaries at the Lloyd's building. Three major construction projects — The Pinnacle, the Leadenhall Building and 100 Bishopsgate — are within the boundaries of the ward, and these skyscrapers will dramatically increase the number of workers in the 2010s.

122 Leadenhall Street, also known as the Leadenhall Building, is a 225-metre-tall (738 ft) skyscraper in central London. It opened in July 2014 and was designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners; it is known informally as The Cheesegrater because of its distinctive wedge shape similar to that of the kitchen utensil with the same name. It is one of a number of tall buildings recently completed or under construction in the City of London financial district, including 20 Fenchurch Street, 22 Bishopsgate, and The Scalpel. The site is adjacent to the Lloyd's Building, also designed by Rogers, which is the current home of the insurance market Lloyd's of London. Until 2007 the Leadenhall site was occupied by a building owned by British Land and designed by Gollins Melvin Ward Partnership, which was constructed in the 1960s. That building was demolished in preparation for redevelopment of the site. By December 2009, the site was cleared but construction had stalled. The project, initially delayed due to the financial crisis, was revived in October 2010 and Oxford Properties has co-developed the property in partnership with British Land.

The Exchange Building is a residential building in London named after the original purpose of the building, which was to be a Telephone Exchange for British Telecom. In the end BT never used the building instead using a building immediately behind in Jerome St - 1928 by the Office of Works. The Exchange Building is located on the A1202 Inner London Arterial Ring Road at 132 Commercial Street in Tower Hamlets. The Exchange Building stands opposite the Peabody building and is 20 metres (66 ft) tall, with 8 storeys. The building features the original metal and glass window design, which was intended to resemble the original Telephone Exchange style, with residential flats on each floor. The Exchange Building benefits from 24-hour porters as well as an underground car park.

The Willis Building is a commercial skyscraper in London named after the primary tenant, Willis Group. It is located on Lime Street in the City of London financial district. The building was designed by Norman Foster and developed by British Land. It stands opposite the Lloyd's building and is 125 metres (410 ft) tall, with 26 storeys. It features a "stepped" design, which was intended to resemble the shell of a crustacean, with setbacks rising at 97 m (318 ft) and 68 m (223 ft). In total, there are 475,000 square feet (44,128.9 m2) of office floor-space, most of which was pre-let to the insurance broker Willis.

The Scalpel is a commercial skyscraper in London, United Kingdom. It is located on Lime Street in the City of London financial area. Originally a nickname but subsequently designated as its official name, the term "Scalpel" was coined by the Financial Times due to the building's distinctive angular design. The building has also been noted for its similarity to a "play" media button due to how it looks from South of the River Thames. This follows a trend of nicknaming new buildings based upon their shape, such as the nearby Leadenhall Building, also known as "The Cheesegrater". Completed in 2018, The Scalpel at 52 Lime Street is 190 m (620 ft) tall, with 38 storeys. It was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox. The Scalpel at 52 Lime Street is on the corner of Lime Street and Leadenhall Street, opposite the Lloyd's building and adjacent to the Willis Building. The skyscraper has been built for insurance company W. R. Berkley and is the firm's new European headquarters, occupying approximately one-quarter of the total office space. Other tenants that have leased space include Axis Novae, National Australia Bank, Morrison & Foerster, Britannia Financial Group, and Convex.

Leadenhall Market is a covered market in London, located on Gracechurch Street but with vehicular access also available via Whittington Avenue to the north and Lime Street to the south and east, and additional pedestrian access via a number of narrow passageways. It is one of the oldest markets in London, dating from the 14th century, and is located in the historic centre of the City of London financial district.

St Andrew Undershaft is a Church of England church in the City of London, the historic nucleus and modern financial centre of London. It is located on St Mary Axe, within the Aldgate ward, and is a rare example of a City church that survived both the Great Fire of London and the Blitz.The present building was constructed in 1532 but a church has existed on the site since the 12th century. Today, St Andrew Undershaft is administered from the nearby St Helen's Bishopsgate church.

Fen Court is a short pedestrian passageway in the City of London, linking Fenchurch Street to Fenchurch Avenue.

1 Undershaft, informally known as 'The Trellis' due to its external cross bracing, is a skyscraper planned for the City of London financial district which was given approval in November 2016. The scheme has been developed by Aroland Holdings and designed by Eric Parry Architects. It is set to replace the St Helen's tower and upon completion will become the second tallest skyscraper in London, and the United Kingdom. The building is the second design for a skyscraper at 1 Undershaft, replacing a previous proposal designed by architects Avery Associates. The approved plans are also revised, reducing the height of the tower. Construction may not begin until several years after its approval date.

Leadenhall Street () is a street in the City of London. It is about 1⁄3-mile-long (0.54 km) and links Cornhill in the west to Aldgate in the east. It was formerly the start of the A11 road from London to Norwich, but that route now starts further east at Aldgate. Leadenhall Street has always been a centre of commerce. It connected the medieval market of Leaden Hall with Aldgate, the eastern gate in the Roman city wall. The East India Company had its headquarters there, as later did the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O). By the mid 20th century, grand stone-faced offices lined the street. Today it is closely associated with the insurance industry and particularly the Lloyd's insurance market, with its dramatic building in the adjacent Lime Street. It forms part of a cluster of tall buildings including the 48-storey “Cheesegrater” and the 38-storey “Scalpel”. Other buildings planned for the street include the 57-storey “Diamond”, the 50-storey “Prussian Blue” and the 34-storey “Gotham City”. Older buildings like the medieval church of St Katherine Cree seem incongruous among these towers, but the medieval heritage is preserved in the narrow slightly curving street and dense commercial activity.