2-879-476 - Historic England Archive/Heritage Images

Paternoster Square, City of London, 14/01/1963. A night-time view looking south-east across the Paternoster development, showing the site during construction with St Paul's Cathedral in the background. Work on the Paternoster development was carried out in a joint venture by John Laing Construction Limited, Trollope and Colls Limited, and George Wimpey and Company Limited. The scheme involved the redevelopment of a seven acre site on the north side of St Paul’s Cathedral. The site had been almost entirely devastated during an incendiary raid in December 1940. The development consisted of a series of office blocks, a shopping precinct, an extensive piazza and a three-level car park. The various blocks were named after former Bishops of London. The tallest block was 18-storeys in height and was called Sudbury House. The three 10-storey blocks were Courtenay, Walden and Grendall Houses, and the five-storey blocks were Laud, Sheldon and Bancroft Houses.