Introduction

Welcome to our London Stone history section. You can skip to subsequent pages using the links below or simply continue reading to start at the beginning.

Introduction

The oldest relic in the City is the least impressive. Millions of people pass the sports shop in Cannon street, in the course of a year. Rarely does anyone bother to look at the fragment which is London Stone, but instead are mesmerised by the lit up logos of the multinational sportswear manufacturers which surround it.

Yet London Stone has had a place in the life of the City for more centuries than any archaeologist can count.

The stone used to be housed within the wall of St. Swithin's Church on Cannon Street before it was bombed during World War II. Remarkably the stone was left unscathed.

First it was on the south side; now it is on the north. The removal to St. Swithin's Church took place in 1798. In that year a proposal to destroy it as a nuisance and obstruction was defeated by the pious efforts of Thomas Maiden, a printer.

Next page: Origins of London Stone