Place Name
As the home of the Bank of England it would be tempting to imagine that the name is a reminder of Jesus’ warning to the wealthy about rich men entering heaven. Alas the original name from the late 16thCentury was Three Needle Street. By 1616 it was Thread-needle-street and Thridneedle street in 1656, becoming Threed Needle Street in the year of the Great Fire. It is most likely taken after the sign on a needle shop located here, and the name corrupted due to the obvious connection of thread and needle. The three needles are featured in the arms of the Needlemakers’ Company, so there may be some connection but, just as likely, it is a reference to the thread and needle in the Merchant Taylors’ Company, whose hall had stood on its present site in the street since the 14thCentury.
