Square mile.
Polly Braden’s photographs of the serious end of London-town are like extremely detailed oil paintings.
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Millions pass through London’s Square Mile — also known as the City of London — yet few are aware of its true significance.
Cover, 1 New Change, 2012
Lord Mayor’s Show, London Wall, 2012
In a photographic study shot over 12 years, Polly Braden puts a spotlight on the ‘City within the city’ at the core of global finance.
The square mile, more accurately known as the City of London, measures 1.12 square miles. In Roman times the city — or ‘Londinium’ as it was called — measured half a square mile but during the medieval period, when the city roughly doubled in size, it adopted its nickname ‘the square mile’. London Wall (the road) takes its name from the original Roman wall that surrounded the city.
This self-contained kingdom is so important it has its own Lord Mayor and police force. Its history is rich and complex, with repercussions that are all too real today.
Middlesex Street, 2016
London’s Square Mile: A Secret City by Polly Braden is published by Hoxton Mini Press
