Mark Lane, London
| Location | London, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Postal code | EC3 |
| North end | Fenchurch Street |
| South end | Great Tower Street |
Mark Lane is a street in the City of London linking Great Tower Street and Fenchurch Street. It was once the location of Mark Lane tube station, which was opened in 1884, renamed Tower Hill in 1964, and closed three years later. For some 240 years, Mark Lane was known for the Corn Exchange (which was the only market in London for corn, grain and seed); it occupied a series of properties on the east side of the southern end of the street.
At its northern end, Mark Lane originates as a two-way side-road off Fenchurch Street, leading to Dunster Court, the home of the Worshipful Company of Clothworkers since 1456. From the south, it is a one-way turn off Great Tower Street; the one-way stretch ends at London Street.
The street plays host to a number of offices and restaurants. The nearest London Underground station is Tower Hill (Circle and District lines) and the nearest mainline railway station is Fenchurch Street (with services towards east London and Essex).
In the nineteenth century 'Mark Lane' was a metonym for London's corn and grain markets. The first Corn Exchange opened on Mark Lane in 1747, bringing together the various agents who sold oats, beans and all kinds of grain on behalf of the farmers. (Corn, brought by river into the City, was customarily landed at Bear Quay, not far from the Exchange). The Corn Exchange, designed by George Dance the Elder in the classical style, was built around a courtyard which was open to the sky. The courtyard was surrounded by stalls or counters at which samples were available of the goods being traded. Either side of the Exchange were coffee-houses, where further business was transacted.
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