continue along Monument Street, passing the Monument on your right, until you reach the junction with Pudding Lane. Turn right and walk down Pudding Lane, then right again at the end into Lower Thames Street.
Cross the road at the lights in front of St Magnus the Martyr church and walk left along Lower Thames Street until you reach a pathway just after a building marked St Magnus House / No 3 Lower Thames Street. Follow this path to the riverfront and turn left.
Old Billingsgate Fish Market
In front of you is the site of the old Billingsgate Fish Market (pictured), which existed here in the Middle Ages. The market moved to a new site on the Isle of Dogs in 1982 and today the building is used as a stock market.
To the right of it is Custom House.
In 979, King Ethelred levied the first known customs duty in England, but it wasn't until 1275 that the first custom house was built, just east of the present site. Since then, Custom House has been responsible for collecting taxes on all goods imported into London.
The church you passed is St Magnus the Martyr church.
This church was founded around 1067 and stood at the foot of the old London Bridge. (In the churchyard lie some of the old stones from the bridge. ) As such, it was an important meeting place in medieval times. The original church burnt down during the Great Fire and was re-built by Wren in 1676.
Did You Know?
In the early 14th century, the population of London was around 80,000. Many people moved to the city from the countryside and other parts of Europe, particularly northern France. These newcomers were identified by their surnames, such as William of Lincoln.
However, the Black Death, the devastating plague that arrived in London in 1348, wiped out half the population and by 1377 it was only around 35,000 people.
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