Paternoster Square Plaza

Address: Paternoster Square, City of London, EC4M, United Kingdom

Website: https://www.paternostersquare.com/

Hours: Open public space, 24/7

Admission: Free

Paternoster Square is a modern public square adjacent to St Paul’s Cathedral in central London. It functions as a pedestrianized plaza and a commercial and financial office district.

The area was heavily redeveloped after wartime damage and again in a major early-21st-century redevelopment that replaced a previous postwar layout with new public spaces and contemporary office buildings. The redevelopment sought to provide a publicly accessible plaza while accommodating commercial tenants.

Paternoster Square lies on the north side of St Paul’s Cathedral in the City of London, within easy walking distance of major central London transport hubs and the River Thames.

• Location and use: Located immediately north of St Paul’s Cathedral, it serves as an urban plaza and office district with the London Stock Exchange located on its perimeter.

Paternoster Square sits immediately north of St. Paul’s Cathedral and is served by St. Paul’s Underground station (Central line). Bank station (Central, Northern, Waterloo & City lines, DLR) is a 10-12 minute walk east; the City Thameslink and Mansion House stations are also walkable depending on where visitors approach from. Several bus routes serve the area along Cheapside and Cannon Street.

• Visit just before sunset: the fountain and the façades of the London Stock Exchange and St. Paul's glow; photographers get the softer light and long shadows.
• Enter from Paternoster Row rather than the busy Cheapside side for a quieter arrival and a better sense of the square's scale.
• Notice the anti-terror bollards and the unusual paving: modern security measures have altered the square's choreography but also made for interesting juxtapositions with older stonework.