Mincing Lane
Encyclopedia
Mincing Lane is a one-way
street in the City of London
linking Fenchurch Street
southward to Great Tower Street
.
Its name is a corruption of Mynchen Lane - so-called from the tenements held there by the Benedictine
'mynchens' or nun
s of St Helen's Bishopsgate
(from Minicen, Anglo-Saxon for a nun; minchery, a nunnery).
It was for some years the world's leading centre for tea
and spice
trading after the British East India Company
successfully took over all trading ports from Dutch East India Company
in 1799. It was the centre of the British opium
business (comprising 90% of all transactions), as well as other drugs in the 18th century. It is mentioned in chapter 16 of Charles Dickens
' Our Mutual Friend
, where it is briefly described:
In 1834, when the East India Company ceased to be a commercial enterprise, and tea became a 'free trade' commodity, tea auctions were held in the London Commercial Salerooms on Mincing Lane. Tea merchants established offices in and around the street, earning it the nickname Street of Tea.
A notable building is the Clothworkers
' Hall (the current building, opened in 1958, is the sixth to stand on the site; the fourth was destroyed in the Great Fire of London
, while the fifth was destroyed during the Blitz
). A modern landmark partly bounded by Mincing Lane is Plantation Place
, completed in 2004.
. The style has been described as "postmodern gothic". It appeared briefly in the 1996 film 101 Dalmatians as House of de Vil. In the forecourt, on Mincing Lane, are three bronze horses that are over 3 metres tall, sculpted by Althea Wynne; they have been nicknamed "Dollar", "Yen" and "Sterling". During the final phase of fitting-out on 7 August 1991, there was a fire in the atrium of Building No. 3 which caused a serious delay in completion.
, providing a facility for insurance
company underwriters to meet brokers at a single venue (the Lloyd's building
itself being only open to Lloyd's syndicate underwriters). The LUC specialises in international insurance and reinsurance
, and can be visited by up to 4,000 brokers each day.
One-way traffic
One-way traffic is traffic that moves in a single direction. A one-way street is a street either facilitating only one-way traffic, or designed to direct vehicles to move in one direction.-General signs:...
street in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
linking Fenchurch Street
Fenchurch Street
Fenchurch Street is a street in the City of London home to a number of shops, pubs and offices. It links Aldgate at its eastern end with Lombard Street and Gracechurch Street to the west. To the south of Fenchurch Street and towards its eastern end is Fenchurch Street railway station...
southward to Great Tower Street
Great Tower Street
Great Tower Street is a street in the City of London.It forms an eastward continuation of Eastcheap starting at Idol Lane, and leads towards Byward Street, then Tower Hill...
.
Its name is a corruption of Mynchen Lane - so-called from the tenements held there by the Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
'mynchens' or nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
s of St Helen's Bishopsgate
St Helen's Bishopsgate
St Helen's Bishopsgate is a large conservative evangelical Anglican church, in Lime Street ward, in the City of London, close to the Lloyd's building and the 'Gherkin'.-History:...
(from Minicen, Anglo-Saxon for a nun; minchery, a nunnery).
It was for some years the world's leading centre for tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
and spice
Spice
A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, or vegetative substance used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for flavor, color, or as a preservative that kills harmful bacteria or prevents their growth. It may be used to flavour a dish or to hide other flavours...
trading after the British East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
successfully took over all trading ports from Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
in 1799. It was the centre of the British opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
business (comprising 90% of all transactions), as well as other drugs in the 18th century. It is mentioned in chapter 16 of Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
' Our Mutual Friend
Our Mutual Friend
Our Mutual Friend is the last novel completed by Charles Dickens and is one of his most sophisticated works, combining psychological insight with social analysis. It centres on, in the words of critic J. Hillis Miller, "money, money, money, and what money can make of life" but is also about human...
, where it is briefly described:
- "[Bella] arrived in the drug-flavoured region of Mincing Lane, with the sensation of having just opened a drawer in a chemist's shop."
In 1834, when the East India Company ceased to be a commercial enterprise, and tea became a 'free trade' commodity, tea auctions were held in the London Commercial Salerooms on Mincing Lane. Tea merchants established offices in and around the street, earning it the nickname Street of Tea.
A notable building is the Clothworkers
Worshipful Company of Clothworkers
The Worshipful Company of Clothworkers was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1528, formed by the amalgamation of its two predecessor Companies, the Fullers and the Shearmen...
' Hall (the current building, opened in 1958, is the sixth to stand on the site; the fourth was destroyed in the Great Fire of London
Great Fire of London
The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the English city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666. The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman City Wall...
, while the fifth was destroyed during the Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
). A modern landmark partly bounded by Mincing Lane is Plantation Place
Plantation Place
Plantation Place is a large office development in the City of London, taking its name from a previous 'Plantation House', once the world's recognised centre of the tea trade....
, completed in 2004.
Minster Court
Minster Court is complex of three office buildings, completed between 1991 and 1992; designed by architects GMW PartnershipGMW Architects
GMW Architects are an architectural practice based in the United Kingdom.-History:The practice was established in 1947 by Frank Gollins , James Melvin , and Edmund Ward and operated as Gollins Melvin Ward...
. The style has been described as "postmodern gothic". It appeared briefly in the 1996 film 101 Dalmatians as House of de Vil. In the forecourt, on Mincing Lane, are three bronze horses that are over 3 metres tall, sculpted by Althea Wynne; they have been nicknamed "Dollar", "Yen" and "Sterling". During the final phase of fitting-out on 7 August 1991, there was a fire in the atrium of Building No. 3 which caused a serious delay in completion.
London Underwriting Centre
Situated in No. 3 Minster Court, the London Underwriting Centre (LUC) is intended to run in parallel with the Underwriting Room at Lloyd's of LondonLloyd's of London
Lloyd's, also known as Lloyd's of London, is a British insurance and reinsurance market. It serves as a partially mutualised marketplace where multiple financial backers, underwriters, or members, whether individuals or corporations, come together to pool and spread risk...
, providing a facility for insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
company underwriters to meet brokers at a single venue (the Lloyd's building
Lloyd's building
The Lloyd's building is the home of the insurance institution Lloyd's of London, and is located at 1, Lime Street, in the City of London, England.-Design:...
itself being only open to Lloyd's syndicate underwriters). The LUC specialises in international insurance and reinsurance
Reinsurance
Reinsurance is insurance that is purchased by an insurance company from another insurance company as a means of risk management...
, and can be visited by up to 4,000 brokers each day.