LLOYDS OF LONDON |
Started
in a 17th century coffee house as a meeting place for sailors,
merchants and ship owners, the business is now housed in a modern
silver and steel building in the heart of the City
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Basic Facts |
289 Feet Tall (88M)
Designed by Richard Rogers
Constructed by Bovis
Opened in 1986
14 Floors
12 External Glass Lifts
Visitor Information |
The building is not open to the public, with the exception of business groups, booked in advance.
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The silver and steel Lloyd's building is the home of Lloyd's of London,
a British insurance market. Completed in 1985, the building was
designed by architect Richard Rogers. It was unusual in that its
services such as staircases, lifts, electrical power cables and water
pipes were on the outside of the building, leaving an uncluttered space
inside. The glass lifts were the first of their kind in the UK and
provide an exhilarating ride. The building consists of multiple towers
around a central rectangular open space, with plenty of daylight
flooding in through a huge barrel-vaulted glass atrium roof.
Close UP!
Did You Know?
Until 1807, one of the primary sources of Lloyd’s business was the
insurance of ships engaged in slave trading, as Britain established
itself as the chief slave trading power in the Atlantic.
Lloyds of London
Did You Know?
The building has been featured in a number of films such as Entrapment. It was also featured on the sleeve cover of British pop group Five Star's Silk And Steel album in 1986.
Inside the Lloyds Building
Photo © phogel (CC)
The buildings focal point is the large Underwriting Room on the ground floor, which houses the famous Lutine Bell.
This bell was salvaged from a captured French frigate which sank off
the Dutch coast in 1799 whilst carrying a cargo of gold and silver
bullion insured by Lloyds for £1Million. The bell has since become a
symbol of good and bad news – it is rung once for good news and twice
for bad news – the last time being on September 11th 2001.
The Lutine which sank in 1799 with a cargo of gold and silver, worth over £81M in modern day value.
Source WikiMedia (PD)
The Lutine Bell, now on the main underwriting floor - rung once for good news, twice for bad news
Photo © tredychris
The 11th floor houses the Committee Room,
an 18th century dining-room originally designed for the 2nd Earl of
Shelburne by Robert Adam in 1763. It was transferred piece-by-piece
from the previous Lloyd's building across the road. The company’s major
treasure however, is the original log book from HMS Euralyus, an
observer at the Battle of Trafalgar. It is displayed in a glass case and opened at the page recording Nelson's famous message to his fleet, saying; England expects that every man shall do his duty.
Admiral Horatio Nelson, hero of the Battle of Trafalgar
Source WikiMedia (PD)
Lloyd's of London serves as a meeting place where multiple financial backers, or members,
come together to pool and spread risk. The market began in Edward
Lloyd's coffeehouse around 1688 in Tower Street. His establishment was
a popular place for sailors, merchants, and ship-owners. Lloyd provided
them with reliable shipping news and discussion on insurance deals. In
1691, the coffee shop relocated to Lombard Street and the business has
continued long after Lloyd's death!
Sign marking the site of Lloyds Coffee House in Lombard Street
Many of London's financial institutions started life in the Coffee Houses of the 17th and 18th Centuries. 
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