Inside Leadenhall Market in the heart of the City of London

©Will Jones/Lonely Planet

Leadenhall Market

London


The ancient Romans had their forum on this site, but this covered shopping arcade harks back to the Victorian era, with cobblestones underfoot and 19th-century ironwork linking its shops, restaurants and pubs. The market appears as Diagon Alley in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and the optician's shop with a blue door on Bull's Head Passage was used as the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby London attractions

1. Lloyd’s Building

0.06 MILES

While the world’s leading specialist insurance brokers are inside underwriting everything from astronauts’ lives to Taylor Swift's legs, people outside…

2. Leadenhall Building

0.09 MILES

More commonly known as the Cheesegrater, this wedge-shaped 50-storey skyscraper opened in 2014 is angled at 10 degrees to protect views of St Paul's…

3. Sky Garden

0.11 MILES

The ferns, fig trees and purple African lilies that clamber up the final three storeys of the 'Walkie Talkie' skyscraper are mere wallflowers at this 155m…

4. Scalpel

0.12 MILES

The nickname of this 39-storey tower completed in 2018 in the City was so apt it dislodged the skyscraper's official name: 52 Lime St.

5. Garden at 120

0.12 MILES

London's largest roof garden, The Garden at 120 is a blossoming 15th-floor pocket park paradise. Its mid-rise vantage point gives a unique perspective on…

6. Royal Exchange

0.16 MILES

Founded by 16th-century merchant Thomas Gresham as a centre to trade stocks, the Royal Exchange was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth I in 1571. Today…

7. Gherkin

0.19 MILES

Nicknamed 'the Gherkin' for its distinctive shape, 30 St Mary Axe remains the City's most intriguing skyscraper, despite the best efforts of the…

8. Bank of England Museum

0.19 MILES

This surprisingly interesting museum explores the evolution of money and the history of the venerable Bank of England, founded in 1694 by a Scotsman. Its…