The London Wall was built by the Romans to mark and defend the borders of Londonium, their strategic port town on the River Thames. It was maintained until the 18th century and in the middle ages defined the boundaries of the City of London. It is now the name of a Road in the City on which London Wall Place sits. A fragment of the wall was brought to the surface during the development project and remains in the picturesque public realm of London Wall Place.

Designed by MAKE Architects, and completed this year, 2020, London Wall Place is a spectacular development offering one acre of public realm, 35,000 Sq Ft of landscaped roof terraces, 15,000 Sq Ft of retail space and five tube stations within a five minute walk.

The design, specifically the colour of the buildings, was inspired by the ancient London Wall itself and it’s very make up – flint! Flint is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz. Occurring mainly as nodules and masses in chalk or limestone, flint was widely used historically to make stone tools, start files, and in the Roman times was used as a building material. The centre of flint is usually dark grey, black or green while a thin layer on the outside of the nodules is lighter in colour, usually white.

London Wall Place is also a well-regarded building in terms of its sustainability criteria. The building has a BREEAM 2014 'Excellent' rating with occupier cooperation. Designed for the latest environmentally efficient heating, cooling and ventilation systems as well as lighting. 2 London Wall Place has 130m2 of photovoltaic cells while a series of gardens at street level, roof gardens and green walls enhance biodiversity. The development hosts a total of 11 terraces. London Wall Place provides the highest standards for indoor environmental quality through increased ventilation and selection of materials with lowest levels of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Rainwater and grey water is harvested for use in landscape irrigation and facade cleaning.

London Wall Place is neighbour to The Barbican Estate. Part residential, part open air museum, part arts centre, the Grade II listed Brutalist building is often described as the perfect place to get lost. In other words, a maze! The multi-level labyrinth is a brilliant display of Brutalist architecture and a intriguing place to wander, just be warned finding your way home might not be as simple as you think.

‘Colin’ the Minotaur has enjoyed a peripatetic life since his acquisition by the City of London in 1973 but now sits on the grounds of London Wall Place as a wry comment for those who have ever found finding their way around the Barbican akin to wandering a maze. In Greek mythology the Minotaur is a mythical creature, part man, part bull who dwells in the centre of an inescapable Labyrinth. Colin sits as ‘the keeper of the maze’.

The segment of wall that previously had been hidden was uncovered and repaired. This portion of the wall has been traced back as far as 1330 when it was the Hospital of Elsung Spital, after which it became a church. It was rebuilt after damage from The fire of London destroyed the site which was and again rebuilt after damage during World war I and II and was uncovered and brought to life again development.

The London Wall Place development sparked an invigoration of the site. Salters Garden which sits on the grounds was revived during the works and is now open to the public, with a ramp added making access accessible for all.