The Ward or Cordwainer is in the heart of the City of London. It is one of 25 wards in the City. Geographically, it is one of the smallest, being just 270 metres long and 130 metres wide. To the North it is bounded by Cheapside and Poultry, to the South by Cannon Street, to the West by Bread Street and to the East by Walbrook. Bow Lane and Queen Street run North-South through the Ward, Watling Street runs East-West and Queen Victoria Street runs diagonally through part of the Ward.
The Ward takes its name from the cordwainers, people who make shoes or other articles from fine soft leather. The word is derived from Cordwain or Cordovan, the leather produced in Cordoba in Spain.