![\"Archivist](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/anna_archives_book-8.jpg\")
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
As\u00a0tens of thousands of runners prepare to\u00a0take on\u00a026.2 miles of the London Marathon, many will be focused on ticking off today\u2019s best-known landmarks.\u202fHowever,\u202finsurance records suggest there is far more to the route than meets the eye.\u202f\u202f<\/p>\n
Drawing on more than 325 years of insurance history, Aviva has opened its\u202farchive to uncover the lost landmarks and forgotten stories that once lined\u202fthe capital\u2019s streets \u2013 revealing how Londoners\u202fthrough history\u202flived, worked, and protected what matters most.\u202f<\/p>\n
Mile 1: Stately properties\u202f\u202f <\/p>\n
As they make their way to\u00a0the marathon\u2019s start line in Greenwich Park,\u202feagle-eyed runners may spot Ranger\u2019s House,\u202finsured\u202ffor \u00a34,000\u202fin\u202f1740\u202fby MP John Stanhope. The grand Georgian property is now better known as the fictional home of the Bridgerton family.\u202f<\/p>\n
A\u202fnearby\u202flost landmark\u202fis Montagu House,\u202fa royal residence once on\u202fedge of\u202fGreenwich Park. Insurance records show the\u202fGeorgian\u202fproperty\u202fwas insured\u202fby the Duke of Montagu\u202fin\u202f1749, before\u202fbeing\u202fdemolished in 1815.\u202f<\/p>\n
Mile 4: Fame and fortune\u202f <\/p>\n
As runners leave Greenwich and head towards Woolwich, the\u202froute\u202fpasses\u202fclose to\u202fWestcombe\u202fPark. Archival records show that the area was\u202fonce home to Georgian\u202factress, Lavinia Fenton, who insured a property with\u202fAviva predecessor\u202fHand in Hand\u202fFire & Life\u202fInsurance\u202fSociety\u202ffor \u00a34,000 in 1755.\u202f\u202f<\/p>\n
Best\u202fknown for her role as Polly\u202fPeachum\u202fin The Beggar\u2019s Opera, Fenton later married the 3rd\u202fDuke of Bolton, with her\u202flegacy\u202fthought to be\u00a0reflected today\u202fin nearby\u202fPeachum\u202fRoad.\u202f\u202f<\/p>\n
Mile 6: Working London\u202f <\/p>\n
As the route traces the Thames from east to west,\u202finsurance\u202frecords offer\u202fa glimpse into\u202fworking life\u202fof 18th-\u202fcentury\u202fLondon. Bakers, rope-makers,\u202fwoodmongers\u202fand\u202ffishermen\u202fare\u202fexamples of businesses protected along the route\u202fthrough history.\u202f<\/p>\n
Mile 16: A pub still standing\u202f <\/p>\n
Runners passing through the Isle of Dogs\u202fthis weekend\u202fwill be in the shadow of Canary Wharf,\u202fbut\u202fa\u202flink\u202fto 18th-\u202fcentury London\u202fremains\u202fthrough\u202fThe Ferry House pub.\u202f\u202fOften described as the Island\u2019s oldest pub,\u202fHand in Hand\u202finsured the business in 1754.<\/p>\n
Mile 23: A different\u00a0city\u202f <\/p>\n
As runners approach the City\u202fof London,\u202frecords show how the commercial landscape differed from today\u2019s busy financial district.\u202fDocuments\u202finclude\u202fan 18th\u202fcentury\u202fpolicy for\u202fThe London Coal Exchange\u202fon Thames Street, insured for \u00a34,000.\u202fNearby also stood the original Fishmongers\u2019 Hall, first insured by Aviva in 1727.\u202fThe\u202fbuilding\u202fwas demolished\u202faround a century\u202flater to allow for the construction of London Bridge, before a new hall was built on the same site.\u202f<\/p>\n
Mile 25: High society\u202f <\/p>\n
Further along the route, runners\u00a0pass close to\u00a0Great George Street, developed and insured in the 1750s by James Mellor.\u202fThe street attracted architects,\u202finventors\u202fand\u00a0politicians, including Sir Robert Peel.\u202f<\/p>\n
Insurance records\u202freveal\u202fthat nearby Queen Anne\u2019s\u202fGate was also home to a host of\u202fprominent\u202ffigures, including Earls, Bishops, and Dukes \u2013 and later, William Paterson, founder of the Bank of England.\u202f\u202f<\/p>\n
Mile 26: The finish line\u202f <\/p>\n
The race ends on a royal note,\u202fwith runners crossing the finish line against the iconic backdrop of Buckingham Palace.\u202f\u202f<\/p>\n
Aviva\u2019s records\u202freveal several policies held in the\u202fsurrounding\u202farea by princes and princesses.\u202fIn 1787, Aviva\u202finsured\u202fCarlton House for \u00a330,000 on behalf of the Prince of Wales, later King George IV. The house was demolished in 1827, with\u202fproceeds used to help renovate Buckingham House into what is now Buckingham Palace.\u202f<\/p>\n
Whilst not open on marathon day, just a short walk from the finish line is Berry Bros. & Rudd, Britain\u2019s oldest\u202fwine\u202fand spirit merchant.\u00a0Aviva has insured the business for more than 300 years, making it\u202fa rare example\u202fof an\u202finstitution\u202fenjoyed by both 18th\u202fand 21st\u202fcentury customers.\u202f\u202f<\/p>\n
While London has evolved, the need to protect what matters most has remained a constant.<\/p>\n
Anna Stone, Group Archivist, Aviva, said:\u202f\u202f<\/p>\n
\u201cOur archive\u202foffers a fascinating glimpse into how Londoners lived and worked across centuries. While London has\u202fevolved, the need to protect what matters most has\u202fremained\u202fa constant.\u202fSince 1696, Aviva and its predecessor companies have\u00a0proudly\u00a0supported\u00a0Londoners,\u202fwith\u202fsome\u202frelationships spanning over\u202f300 years.\u202f<\/p>\n
\u201cAs this year\u2019s runners make their way through\u202fthe capital, we wish them the\u202fvery best\u202fof luck \u2013 and hope they can find a moment to enjoy the\u202fhistory\u202fthat lines the route.\u201d\u202f<\/p>\n
-ends-<\/p>\n
Enquiries: <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As\u00a0tens of thousands of runners prepare to\u00a0take on\u00a026.2 miles of the London Marathon, many will be focused on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":408874,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[85,46,105],"class_list":["post-408873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=408873"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408873\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/408874"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=408873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=408873"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=408873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}