Threadneedle Street is a 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...

, leading from a junction with Poultry, Cornhill, King William Street

King William Street (London)

King William Street is the name of a street in the City of London, England. It runs from a junction at the Bank of England, meeting Poultry, Lombard Street and Threadneedle Street, south-east, where it meets a junction with Gracechurch and Cannon Street. It continues south after this junction, and...

 and Lombard Street

Lombard Street, London

Lombard Street is a street in the City of London.It runs from the corner of the Bank of England at its north-west end, where it meets a major junction including Poultry, King William Street, and Threadneedle Street, south-east to Gracechurch Street....

, to Bishopsgate

Bishopsgate

Bishopsgate is a road and ward in the northeast part of the City of London, extending north from Gracechurch Street to Norton Folgate. It is named after one of the original seven gates in London Wall...

.

The street is famous as the site of the Bank of England

Bank of England

The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world...

; the bank itself is often called 'the old lady of Threadneedle Street' and has been at its current location since 1734. The London Stock Exchange

London Stock Exchange

The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...

 was also situated on Threadneedle Street until 2004 when it relocated to Paternoster Square

Paternoster Square

Paternoster Square is an urban development, owned by the Mitsubishi Estate Co., next to St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London, England. In 1942 the area, which takes its name from Paternoster Row, centre of the London publishing trade, was devastated by aerial bombardment in The Blitz during...

. The Baltic Exchange

Baltic Exchange

The Baltic Exchange is the world's only independent source of maritime market information for the trading and settlement of physical and derivative contracts...

 was founded in the Virginia and Baltick Coffee House in Threadneedle Street in 1744.

Etymology

The etymology of the name Threadneedle Street is most likely from the Anglo-Saxon old English Threadn meaning to prosper. Some say that it originated as Three Needle Street (first attested in 1598) from a signboard portraying three needles. Another suggestion is that the children's game thread the needle was commonly played there. Before 1598 it was part of Broad Street (now Old Broad Street).

The name of the street could also be a euphemism for its possible former name, Gropecunt Lane

Gropecunt Lane

Gropecunt Lane was a street name found in English towns and cities during the Middle Ages, believed to be a reference to the prostitution centred on those areas; it was normal practice for a medieval street name to reflect the street's function or the economic activity taking place within it...

, "called for the simple reason that it was a famous haunt of prostitutes".

The British band Blur

Blur (band)

Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...

 have recorded a song entitled Threadneedle Street, which was a B-side to their single To The End. The song's lyrics make reference to stocks and shares.

Points of interest

In addition to the Bank of England and Baltic Exchange, there are a number of shops, banks, restaurants and offices located on Threadneedle Street.

The nearest London Underground

London Underground

The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...

 station is Bank.