The Lloyds Building, One Lime Street

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Opened in 1986, the year of the 'Big Bang' which tore down regulations in the financial markets, the Lloyds Building broke with architectural convention. Designed by Richard Rogers, the building was highly unusual, siting all of its services (water, power, heating, cooling, fire stairs, kitchens, waste pipes and of course the famous glass lifts) on the outside of the building, leaving the space inside as open-plan as possible. Standing on the ground floor, you may look up at the glass-domed roof at the top of the 200 foot atrium.

Not everything is new however, the old entrance from the 1928 building remains, a slightly incongruous way in to what has been termed a cathedral to modernism. The original 'Lutine Bell' remains in place. Traditionally, the bell was rung once for bad news such as the loss of a ship, and twice for good news. Although it is no longer rung to announce the loss or safe arrival of ships, it is still rung on special occasions. It has also been rung to announce news of great importance, such as when news broke of the September 11 2001 attacks in the USA.

Lloyds itself takes its name from Edward Lloyd's coffee shop, which stood on this site in the 17th century. Mr Lloyd's customers drank his coffee and arranged to insure each other's ships. This casual maritime insurance arrangement sprang up into the institution which is Lloyds today. Old traditions do die hard - trying to enter the building without a tie will have you barred until you find one! Please click the thumbnail image below to view the fast-loading, fullscreen interactive panorama.