Mansion House has been the Lord Mayor of London's official residence since 1752, though the incumbent stays put for only a single year.

George Dance the Elder designed this Palladian palace with its imposing six Corinthian columns, creating what was essentially a government building with a twist: it came complete with holding cells in the basement. Ten cells for men and one for women, nicknamed "the birdcage," where suffragette Sylvia Pankhurst was once imprisoned when the Lord Mayor served as the City's chief magistrate.

The Egyptian Hall hosts the Chancellor's annual June speech about Britain's economy, a tradition that took a dramatic turn in 1911 when David Lloyd George used his speech to warn Germany against opposing British influence. The building's construction was funded through what some called persecution: City authorities taxed Dissenters until the House of Lords ruled against the practice in 1767.

VoiceMap's self-guided audio tours reveal how the Lord Mayor differs from London's Mayor, trace the power of medieval guilds who still elect the Lord Mayor today, and explain how the City of London maintains its unique status with a representative who can lobby Parliament directly.