Its name is a corruption of Mynchen Lane — so-called from the tenements held there by the Benedictine 'mynchens' or nuns of the nearby St Helen's Bishopsgate church. A Dictionary of London by Henry A. Harben describes it as follows:
Mincing Lane
In addition, the entry "Mngenelane" in Harben's Dictionary suggests "Mngenelane = Mengenelane".
History
It was for some years the world's leading centre for tea and spice trading after the British East India Company successfully took over all trading ports from the Dutch East India Company in 1799. It was the centre of the British opium business, as well as other drugs in the 18th century. Businesses in the British slave trade, such as Hibbert, Purrier and Horton, were also based in Mincing Lane. It is mentioned in chapter 16 of Charles Dickens' Our Mutual Friend, where it is briefly described: In 1834, when the East India Company ceased to be a commercial enterprise, and tea became a 'free trade' commodity, tea auctions were held in the London Commercial Salerooms on Mincing Lane. Tea merchants established offices in and around the street, earning it the nickname 'Street of Tea'. A notable building is the livery hall of the Worshipful Company of Clothworkers. The current building, opened in 1958, is the sixth to stand on the site; the fourth was burnt down in the Great Fire of London and the fifth was destroyed during the Blitz of World War II. A modern landmark partly bounded by Mincing Lane is Plantation Place, completed in 2004, and its sister building Plantation Place South.
Minster Court
Minster Court is a complex of three office buildings, completed between 1991 and 1992 and designed by architects GMW Partnership. During the final phase of fitting-out on 7 August 1991, there was a fire in the atrium of No. 3 Minster Court which caused a serious delay in completion. The style has been described as "postmodern-gothic". In the forecourt, on Mincing Lane, are three bronze horses that are each over 3 metres tall, sculpted by Althea Wynne; they have been nicknamed "Dollar", "Yen" and "Sterling". It appeared briefly in Disney's 1996 live-action movie 101 Dalmatians as the exterior of Cruella De Vil's haute couture fashion house, "House of DeVil". It also appeared as the location of the architectural practice of Peter Manson in the 2010 remake of Bouquet of Barbed Wire.
London Underwriting Centre
Situated in No. 3 Minster Court, the London Underwriting Centre is intended to run in parallel with the Underwriting Room at Lloyd's of London, providing a facility for insurance underwriters to meet brokers at a single venue. The LUC specialises in international insurance and reinsurance, and can be visited by up to 4,000 brokers each day.
