Lombard Street has its origins in one of the main Roman roads of Londinium. It later formed a plot of land granted by King Edward I (1272 — 1307) to goldsmiths from the part of northern Italy known as Lombardy (larger than the modern region of Lombardy).

Lloyd's Coffee House, which eventually became the world's leading insurance market Lloyd's of London, moved to Lombard Street near the General Post Office from Tower Street in 1691. The location, on the south side of the street, is now occupied at street level by a supermarket. Lloyd's is now located in Lime Street, where its newest building was completed in 1986.

Until the 1980s, most UK-based banks had their head offices in Lombard Street and historically it has been the London home for money lenders. Number 54 was the long-standing headquarters of Barclays before the financial institution moved in 2005 to One Churchill Place in Canary Wharf. Number 60 was the headquarters of the Trustee Savings Bank (TSB).

Lombard Street has a number of colourful signs hanging from the buildings, depicting (mostly historic) organisations and buildings once located on the street. Having previously been banned, the present-day signs were erected for the coronation of Edward VII in 1902.

From 1678 to 1829, the General Post Office had its headquarters on Lombard Street; this location now commemorated by Post Office Court. The expense of continuously expanding the site in the middle of the financial district, however, eventually necessitated a move to St Martins-le-Grand. The slums at the site were cleared in the early 19th century and the General Post Office East constructed.

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Coordinates: 51°30'47.29"N 0°05'19.31"W

Image: By John Salmon, CC BY-SA 2.0