Cordwainer is a small, almost rectangular-shaped ward in the City of London, England.[1] It is named after the cordwainers, the professional shoemakers who historically lived and worked in this particular area of London;[2] there is a Livery Company for the trade — the Worshipful Company of Cordwainers. The ward is sometimes referred to as the "Cordwainers' ward".
| Ward of Cordwainer | |
|---|---|
 Location within the City | |
  Ward of Cordwainer Location within Greater London | |
| OS grid reference | TQ323811 |
| Sui generis | |
| Administrative area | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | EC2 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | City of London |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
It is bounded to the north by Poultry and Cheapside (the boundary with Cheap ward); to the west by the eponymous Bread Street and the ward of the same name; to the south by Cannon Street (and Vintry and Dowgate wards); and to the east by Walbrook ward and a street of the same name.
Streets within Cordwainer's boundaries are, amongst others, Bow Lane, Pancras Lane and part of Watling Street. Queen Street runs north–south through the centre of the ward.[3]
Former precincts
editIn mediaeval times and long before the most recent boundary changes in 2003, Cordwainer was divided into eight precincts:[4]
- St. Mary, Aldermary, upper and lower
- Allhallows, Bread Street
- St. Mary-le-Bow
- St. Antholin, upper and lower
- St. Pancras
- St. Bennet, Sherehog and St. John
- St. Thomas the Apostle
- Trinity[5]
21st century
edit
The contemporary ward is home to many large businesses and new initiatives such as Bow Bells House,[6] named after the bells of St Mary-le-Bow church—and not, as sometimes thought, after the area of Bow. Cordwainer contains one other church, St Mary Aldermary, and the site of St Antholin, Budge Row, demolished in 1875.[7] Cordwainer ward is quite distinctive for its high number of licensed premises.
Ward of Cordwainer Club
editThe Ward of Cordwainer Club was founded in 1902 and has 260 members. The clubs role is
- the encouragement of interest in the affairs of the City of London,
- the generation a friendly spirit
- the improvement the quality of life mainly within the Ward.
It further aims to lend support to the municipal officials of the ward.[8]
Politics
editCordwainer is one of 25 ancient wards of the City of London, each electing an alderman to the Court of Aldermen and commoners (the City equivalent of a councillor) elected to the Court of Common Council of the City of London Corporation. Only electors who are Freemen of the City are eligible to stand for election. The current Alderman is Roger Gifford and the current Common Councilmen are: Mark Boleat, Michael Snyder and Alex Barr.[9]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Alex Barr | 92 | 32 | n/a | |
| Independent | Michael Snyder | 79 | 28 | n/a | |
| Independent | Mark Boleat | 77 | 27 | n/a | |
| Independent | Gillian Kaile | 21 | 7 | n/a | |
| Independent | Timothy Becker | 15 | 5 | n/a | |
| Turnout | 284 | n/a | |||
| Independent hold | Swing | ||||
| Independent hold | Swing | ||||
| Independent hold | Swing | ||||
References
edit- ^ Ward Map
- ^ Chambers Dictionary 9th Edition (2003) p335 ISBN 0-550-10105-5
- ^ City of London Police Force description Archived 13 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Book 2, Ch. 17: Cordwainer Ward , A New History of London: Including Westminster and Southwark (1773), pp. 597-600 25 September 2007
- ^ Thomas Allen, The City of London and Parts Adjacent: Volume 3
- ^ "Details of Project". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 2 September 2007.
- ^ Vanished Churches of the City of London Huelin,G: Guildhall Library Publishing, London, 1996 ISBN 0-900422-42-4
- ^ "Cordwainer Ward Club". City of London Cordwainer Ward. Cordwainer Ward. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ "Your Councillors". democracy.cityoflondon.gov.uk. City of London Corporation. 6 November 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
- ^ City of London Corporation: Notice of Persons Elected, 2017
External links
edit- Cordwainer The Official Ward Website