City of London

City of London
Also called:	City
Location:	London
First appearance:	The Web of Fear
Appearances:	see list

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The City of London, sometimes shortened to City, was an area in London.

Geography

A map of London in 1666. (TV: The Visitation ^[+]Loading...["The Visitation (TV story)"])

In 1666, (TV: The Visitation ^[+]Loading...["The Visitation (TV story)"]) the City of London (PROSE: Matrix ^[+]Loading...["Matrix (novel)"], TV: The Lie of the Land ^[+]Loading...["The Lie of the Land (TV story)"]) appeared to make up the majority of London as a whole. The urban sprawl of the city was surrounded to the north-east and north-west by what appeared to be open countryside. The only bridge across the River Thames (TV: The Visitation ^[+]Loading...["The Visitation (TV story)"]) between the City and Southwark (TV: The Lie of the Land ^[+]Loading...["The Lie of the Land (TV story)"]) appeared to be London Bridge, (TV: The Visitation ^[+]Loading...["The Visitation (TV story)"], TV: The Lie of the Land ^[+]Loading...["The Lie of the Land (TV story)"]) which had existed since at least the 15th century. (AUDIO: The Doctor's Tale ^[+]Loading...["The Doctor's Tale (audio story)"]) Most of the medieval city of London was destroyed in the Great Fire of London. (PROSE: A History of Humankind ^[+]Loading...["A History of Humankind (novel)"])

A street map of the City of London during the reign of the Monks. (TV: The Lie of the Land ^[+]Loading...["The Lie of the Land (TV story)"])

According to Mr Smith's map of London, City shared its western border with Westminster, its north-western border with Camden, its northern border with Islington, its north-eastern border with Hackney and its eastern border with Tower Hamlets. Its southern border was the River Thames, across which was the London Borough of Southwark. (TV: Revenge of the Slitheen ^[+]Loading...["Revenge of the Slitheen (TV story)"])

The Gherkin and surrounding buildings were foremost considered to be the City of London. (PROSE: The Time Traveller's Almanac ^[+]Loading...{"chaptname":"Everything Changes","page":"71","chaptnum":"3","1":"The Time Traveller's Almanac (reference book)"})

122 Leadenhall Street was located approximate to the Gherkin by the mid-to-late-2010s, (TV: Face the Raven ^[+]Loading...["Face the Raven (TV story)"], WC: The Promise ^[+]Loading...["The Promise (webcast)"]) however, by 2022, a different building was in its place, which UNIT set up their new headquarters inside. This building was imploded that same year. (TV: The Power of the Doctor ^[+]Loading...["The Power of the Doctor (TV story)"]) However, a year later, the original slanted skyscraper had returned, with UNIT's newer headquarters built next to it. (TV: The Star Beast ^[+]Loading...["The Star Beast (TV story)"], The Giggle ^[+]Loading...["The Giggle (TV story)"], etc.)

The City of London also included St Paul's Cathedral, the City of London School and the northernmost landfall of the Millennium Bridge. Stations in the city included Cannon Street, Monument, Mansion House and Blackfriars. (TV: The Lie of the Land ^[+]Loading...["The Lie of the Land (TV story)"]) It also contained the Bank of England, the Royal Exchange, a financial district and an area known as Cheapside. (PROSE: At Childhood's End ^[+]Loading...["At Childhood's End (novel)"])

A column at the bottom of King William Street — close to the Bank of England building in the City of London — commemorated the Great Fire of London. Its plaque read in part:

"In the year of Christ 1666, on 2 September, at a distance eastward of this place of 202 ft, which is the height of this column, a fire broke out in the dead of night which, the wind blowing, devoured even distant buildings, and rushed devastating through every quarter with astonishing swiftness and noise..." (PROSE: Matrix ^[+]Loading...["Matrix (novel)"])

History

17th century

The Great Fire of London began in the City (PROSE: Matrix ^[+]Loading...["Matrix (novel)"]) in a baker's shop on Pudding Lane on 2 September 1666. (PROSE: Doctor Who and the Visitation ^[+]Loading...["Doctor Who and the Visitation (novelisation)"]) The fire raged for three days, destroying most of the medieval city of London. (PROSE: A History of Humankind ^[+]Loading...["A History of Humankind (novel)"])

19th century

The CyberKing stood over the City of London after rising from the River Thames. (TV: The Next Doctor ^[+]Loading...["The Next Doctor (TV story)"])

20th century

During the "London Event", (PROSE: Downtime ^[+]Loading...["Downtime (novelisation)"]) Jamie McCrimmon and Gwynfor Evans visited the Monument and Cannon Street stations in the London Underground. (TV: The Web of Fear ^[+]Loading...["The Web of Fear (TV story)"])

21st century

The Slitheen craft flew over the City of London on 6 March 2006, swerving around St Paul's towards the neighbouring borough of Westminster. (TV: Aliens of London ^[+]Loading...["Aliens of London (TV story)"])

In 2013, the helicopter transporting the Eleventh Doctor's TARDIS flew past the City. By this time, 122 Leadenhall Street had been constructed. (TV: The Day of the Doctor ^[+]Loading...["The Day of the Doctor (TV story)"])

Around the mid-2010s, whilst Clara Oswald hung outside the doors of the TARDIS in the skies above London when searching for the Trap Street, she was near the Shard, Tower Bridge and the City. (TV: Face the Raven ^[+]Loading...["Face the Raven (TV story)"])

The Monks parked their pyramid in the City of London, close to St Paul's Cathedral. City was seen on a map of London used during the Monk invasion of the late 2010s. (TV: The Lie of the Land ^[+]Loading...["The Lie of the Land (TV story)"])

The A Charitable Earth headquarters were located on the other side of the River Thames from the City by the late 2010s. (WC: The Promise ^[+]Loading...["The Promise (webcast)"])

By 2022, 122 Leadenhall Street was leased to Kate Stewart of UNIT for their headquarters. However, Kate and Tegan Jovanka soon had to activate the structural termination system to implode the building and entomb the Cyber-Warriors lead by a cloned Ashad, during the Master's Dalek Plan. (TV: The Power of the Doctor ^[+]Loading...["The Power of the Doctor (TV story)"])

However, by November 2023, (PROSE: The Star Beast ^[+]Loading...["The Star Beast (novelisation)"]) a new headquarters with a helipad was constructed in the approximate area of 122 Leadenhall Street, which had inexplicably returned. (TV: The Star Beast ^[+]Loading...["The Star Beast (TV story)"], The Giggle ^[+]Loading...["The Giggle (TV story)"])

References

Sarah Jane Smith informed Mrs Wormwood that she had contacts in the City. They stated that the Bubble Shock! company had "dropped in from nowhere". (TV: Invasion of the Bane)