No. 52 Langbourn Ward Volunteer

Langbourn (see map) is one of the 25 ancient wards of the City of London. It reputedly is named after a buried stream in the vicinity. It is a small ward; a long thin area, running in a west–east direction. Historically, Lombard Street and Fenchurch Street were the principal streets, forming the cores of the ward’s West and East divisions respectively. Boundary changes in 2003 and 2013 have resulted in most of the northern sides of these streets remaining in Langbourn, whilst the southern sides are now largely in the wards of Candlewick, Bridge, Billingsgate and Tower. Three changes to the boundaries of Langbourn took place in 2013; all of the southern side of Lombard Street, with the notable exception of the guild – or ward – church of St Mary Woolnoth, is in Candlewick (from 2003 to 2013 Candlewick extended only to Abchurch Lane); the ward of Walbrook now includes the northern side of Lombard Street from number 68 to Bank junction. In turn, Langbourn expanded by taking another part of Leadenhall Market, from Lime Street ward.  The ward at present borders eight other wards (Walbrook, Candlewick, Bridge, Billingsgate, Tower, Aldgate, Lime Street, and Cornhill); historically no other City ward bordered so many neighbours.  The ward encompasses a large area of Leadenhall Market and two historic churches: St. Mary Woolnoth and St. Edmund’s. Historically, the ward also contained four other churches: St Nicholas Acons (destroyed in the Great Fire 1666), All Hallows Staining (demolished 1870), St. Dionis Backchurch (1878), and All Hallows Lombard Street (1939).