A mythical stone in shabby surroundings
Neglected for decades, the supposed foundation stone of a great metropolis lay behind bars and dirty glass in the façade of a down-at-heel 1960s office block. By crouching and peering through, it was possible to see a fragment of limestone measuring about 50 by 40 by 30 centimetres – all that remains of London Stone, which was once larger and is associated in legend with the beginnings of the city.
According to one story, it is a relic of the stone circle built by the giants Gog and Magog on the site now occupied by St Paul’s Cathedral. A 12th-century chronicle tells that Brutus came to London from the ruins of Troy and was instructed by the goddess Diana to build a temple, of which London Stone was the altar. The mystic poet William Blake believed that druids performed human sacrifices on the stone. Others claimed that King Arthur drew the sword Excalibur from it, while New Agers of modern times take it to be the mid-point of a ley line connecting St Paul’s with the Tower of London. A more sober interpretation sees the block as the central Roman milestone from which distances were measured.
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Address 111 Cannon Street, EC4N 5BP | Public Transport Cannon Street (Circle, District Line) | Tip Sir Christopher Wren was the architect of St Stephen Walbrook (39 Walbrook, Mon–Fri 10am–4pm), a church with a dome that that may have served as a trial run for St Paul’s Cathedral. The lovely interior is noteworthy for a controversial altar sculpted by Henry Moore.
The facts are scanty. The first written reference dates from the 11th century. In the Middle Ages great significance was ascribed to the stone: debts were paid and oaths taken there. It was the landmark at which the rebel Jack Cade claimed to be ruler of London in 1450. Until the road was widened in 1742, London Stone stood on the south side of the street, was then placed in the wall of St Swithin’s Church and survived the destruction of the church in 1941.
The site of St Swithin’s is now 111 Cannon Street. In 2016 London Stone was temporarily removed to the Museum of London when redevelopment of the site began. In the mixed office and retail development that is replacing the drab 1960s block, a better presentation of the ancient stone is promised. In a city that is proud of its traditions, this strange item deserves a worthy setting.
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