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A Name That Sounds Like Artillery, Isn't
Locksmith Cannon Street: From Candle-Makers To A Name Nobody Expects
This street's own name has absolutely nothing to do with cannons, tracing instead to medieval candle-makers whose trade got slowly worn down by pronunciation into something else entirely. Call 020 8534 4949 for a locksmith who knows this street well.
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Covering Cannon Street, from St Paul's Churchyard to Eastcheap. Open in Google Maps
Why Cannon Street Is Different
A name worn down by pronunciation, not artillery
Despite how it sounds, Cannon Street has genuinely nothing to do with weaponry. The name traces back to Candlewick Street, originally recorded as Candelwichstrete. That older name described a medieval thoroughfare dominated by candle-makers and wax chandlers who lived and worked along it. Over centuries, Middle English pronunciation gradually wore the name down, apparently helped along by a Cockney inflection, until Candlewick had transformed into something that simply sounded like Cannon by the late 17th century. That original trade left a lasting institutional mark too. The Tallow Chandlers' Company once helped regulate candle-making across the City. It has kept premises on adjoining Dowgate Hill since 1476, though the current hall there dates from a 1672 rebuilding.
Even so, the street itself wasn't always the length it is today either. For centuries, Cannon Street remained a considerably narrower lane that stopped short at Dowgate Hill, only extending to its full modern route in the mid-1800s under the direction of architect J.P. Bunning.
A Street Worth Writing About
Even so, that expanded, busier Cannon Street eventually found its way into genuine literature. Samuel Pepys referenced the street by its newer, corrupted name directly in his own diary, by then simply calling it Cannon Street without a second thought. Centuries later, Arthur Conan Doyle gave the street its own small role in detective fiction. He featured a character with a curious interest in acquiring businesses along it, within The Man with the Twisted Lip. We're concerned with something considerably less literary. A lock on Cannon Street gets fixed properly, whatever trade or author once left their mark on the street outside.
Need something sorted now? Lockout help for a shut door, a repair booking for one that's just tired, our night line at any hour.
What Cannon Street Businesses & Residents Call About
What this street brings us
Offices Along A Historic Trade Route
Ground that once held candle-makers' own workshops now lines with modern commercial buildings. We judge security on current use, not on trades long since gone.
Book aheadPeriod Buildings Near Dowgate Hill
Close to the historic livery halls nearby, older architecture survives at points along this stretch. We handle that properly, without rushing to standard parts.
Book aheadShops Serving Steady Office Footfall
Trade here depends heavily on the surrounding commercial population staying busy. A quick lock replacement keeps a jammed unit from losing that custom.
Same-day priorityFlats Tucked Among The Offices
A handful of residential entrances persist among the commercial buildings here. Each one gets properly assessed, not lumped in with the units nearby.
Book aheadBroken Or Snapped Keys
The older locks here don't always give up a broken key easily. Our guide explains the careful approach we take.
Call nowEvening Lockouts
Once the working day ends, this street quietens down quickly. That makes no difference to how fast we respond.
Call nowA quick clarification: duplicate keys and card or intercom setup both fall to other specialists, not us. The managing agent's own suppliers handle those instead.
Locked Out On Cannon Street
Busy by day, genuinely still by night
Daytime brings steady office traffic here, tied closely to the commercial activity this stretch now supports.
Come evening, that movement all but stops, leaving the street notably quiet.
Either way, we keep to the same method. Patient, gentle techniques come first, with a drill held back as a genuine last resort.
What's wrong with your key decides how we approach it. See broken keys for one situation, lost keys for the other.
Around Cannon Street
What this street connects to
The station's own story, in full.
London Stone's own mystery, covered separately.
East, where this street ends.
South-east of here.
North, towards the junction.
West, where this street begins.
What We Do
Services across Cannon Street
What A Trade Leaves Behind In Its Own Name
Candle-makers, worn down by centuries of speech
Few City streets carry a name quite this misleading. What sounds like a reference to weaponry turns out to be nothing more than a worn-down memory of wax and wicks.
The full story behind Candlewick Street's transformation is told by this account of the name's own history. The street's later extension under Bunning is covered further by this record of Cannon Street itself.
Our own standards stay considerably plainer than that history. Whether a lock works is the only thing that actually concerns us.
Something not right with your lock? Describe the symptoms and we'll tell you plainly what's going on.
The Process
Booking a locksmith Cannon Street callout
- Reach outShare your address, the unit, and what's wrong.
- We sort accessBuilding clearance, where needed, gets arranged first.
- Proper inspectionNo price given until the door's been genuinely checked.
- Tested before we goLock and door both proven working, not assumed.
Access & Traffic
Getting to you along Cannon Street
This street carries heavy office traffic throughout the week, tied directly to the dense commercial population surrounding it. Loading restrictions apply throughout.
Cannon Street and Bank stations both lie within easy reach, frequently the faster route in when surface roads are congested.
Weekday office hours bring the busiest conditions, with evenings and weekends considerably quieter. We plan each visit around whichever pattern applies.
Why People Call Us
What Cannon Street tenants and residents rely on us for
- Current condition decides everything. What a building used to trade in makes no difference to us.
- We avoid damage wherever possible. A drill appears only when genuinely nothing else will do.
- Dense commercial streets? No issue. Steady office footfall here is simply routine for us.
- Flats aren't treated as lesser work. A residential callout gets the same care as any commercial one.
- Our boundaries are clearly drawn. Duplicate keys and access-system wiring go elsewhere.
- Hour of day doesn't limit us. Busy trading day or a silent night, both get the same answer.
Nearby
Areas around Cannon Street
Common Questions
A Name With Nothing To Do With Weapons
Does this street's name actually reference cannons or artillery?
No, despite how it sounds, the connection is purely coincidental.
What does the name genuinely come from instead?
A medieval trade, slowly worn down through pronunciation into something different.
Is there still a working connection to that original trade nearby?
Yes, a historic trade company still keeps premises just off this street.
A Street That Grew Considerably Longer
Has Cannon Street always run its current full length?
No, it was once a considerably shorter lane that stopped well short of today's route.
When did it actually reach its modern extent?
The mid-1800s, under a specific architect overseeing the work.
Has this street appeared in any well-known literature?
Yes, in both a famous diary and a celebrated piece of detective fiction.
Booking On Cannon Street
Which stretch does this page actually cover?
Cannon Street itself, running from St Paul's Churchyard to Eastcheap.
Do you work on period buildings as well as modern offices here?
We do. This street has a genuine mix, and each building gets assessed on its own terms.
Can you reach a lockout during a busy weekday?
We can, though finishing on foot often works out faster once this stretch gets congested.
Is weekend cover realistic in a mostly commercial area?
Yes, every day, regardless of how quiet the street is.
Do you handle residential premises as well as offices here?
Yes, though commercial work accounts for most of what we're called out for on this street.
What if my building has its own security procedures?
Let us know what they involve beforehand and we'll plan the visit around them.
This street's own name hides a surprisingly humble trade behind it. We'd rather your lock hid nothing at all, just honest, proper work.
Office, shop or flat on Cannon Street — get in touch, and we'll send the right engineer.