The deal represents about 20% of the space in the new build at 122 Leadenhall Street which has acquired the nickname of the “Cheesegrater”.

Amlin, specialists in insurance and reinsurance, will take levels 18-24 and level 45 of the 47-storey building which is due to complete mid-2014 and is a joint venture between British Land and Oxford Properties.

Chris Grigg, Chief Executive of British Land said, “This significant second letting confirms The Leadenhall Building as a world-class building. We are very pleased to be in business with a company of the standing of Amlin, a market leader in the insurance sector.”

Paul Brundage, Executive Vice President, Senior Managing Director Europe of Oxford Properties said, “Our partnership with British Land at The Leadenhall Building has been a great success and this latest significant leasing deal with another prominent occupier evidences this. We look forward to welcoming Amlin to the building and fostering a long standing relationship with them.”

Charles Philipps, Chief Executive of Amlin plc said, “We are very pleased to be moving to The Leadenhall Building. It will be an uplifting new office for us in a building of high architectural quality and an unbeatable location directly opposite Lloyd’s Insurance market.”

The annoucement means that over half of the Cheesegrater has now been pre-let, with other tenants to include Aon.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS working at  building site in the City of London have discovered what they have called the Pompeii of the North.

Up to 10,000 Roman items are believed to be at the site which has been preserved by the water-logged lost Walbrook river.

The location of the historically important discovery is the future Bloomberg headquarters which will be just off Cannon Street,opposite St Stephen Walbrook church.

The work has been carried by the Museum of London Archaeology and seen discoveries that date back to the entire time that the Romans occupied Britain.

When the new office and retail development is completed in 2016, the items will go on show at a new exhibition within the building.

You can follow MOLA’s progress on their own blog.

The Bank of England tour is one of the most popular events in the Open House calendar, with the entrance queue stretching around the side of the building.

St Mary-Le-Bow church, built in the middle of the main street in London at the time. Revd Bush joked that he sometimes describes himself as “the Rector of London.”

The crypt of St-Mary-Le-Bow church. Revd George R Bush, who gave a fascinating 45-minute talk about the church, says it’s not really a crypt but his attempts to rebrand it as an undercroft haven’t proved successful.

Inside the Guildhall

There was a chance to have a look at a large model of the square mile and hear about past and future developments in the City of London’s marketing suite.

St Stephen Walbrook church, with its controversial circular layout. The round altar was designed by Henry Moore.

Ceiling of St Stephen Walbrook church

St Mary Abchurch

Find out more about Open House, and tomorrow’s opportunities, on the website.

ELITE female runners from around the world took part in the Olympic Marathon today with a route that started on The Mall and came across to the City, looping the streets of the Square Mile three times. Here’s some photos of the event…

British athlete, Claire Hallissey, passing the Bank of England

The company will move from its current base in Leadenhall Street to the building dubbed the Walkie Talkie when it is completed in 2014.

William Stovin, president and chief operating officer of Markel International, said: “We have been at our current address for 11 years and now have the opportunity to upgrade to one of the best developments in the City.

“We are delighted that we have been able to agree terms for such a prestigious building which will provide us with the perfect headquarters for our continued growth both in the UK and overseas.”

20 Fenchurch Street developer Land Securities said in a trading statement released on Wednesday that 19 per cent of the space in the new skycraper has already been pre-let.

The company also stated that office space in its One New Change development was 94% let.

Here’s a selection of photos from the 5km race around the City.

Runners congregate in anticipation of the start

And they’re off…

Winning male runner, Phil Wicks, in the Great City Race

Emily Wicks crossing the line as leading female in the Great City Race.

Some runners relaxed with food and drink in the Long Room of Armoury House.

BBC Television presenter Mike Bushell with gold medal-winning Paralympian, Noel Thatcher before race…

And here they are after completing the 5km in driving rain!

More results information can be found at the Standard Chartered Great City Race website

Crowds gathered on the bridges and the banks of the Thames last night to watch what was billed as a spectacular laser show to mark the opening of The Shard. Queues formed for the lifts to the roof terrace at One New Change as people sought out vantage points in readiness for the much hyped opening of western Europe’s tallest building.

But with the show not proving to be as spectacular as some had expected, the body language on display above may have summed up the feelings of many.

Elsewhere in the City, a rather different cycle race was spotted. The World Naked Bike Ride set off from Wellington Arch but its route took it into the Square Mile and it can be seen here at Holborn Circus passing the statue of Prince Albert.

Owners British Land and the Blackstone Group want to create an “enhanced performance space” surrounded by new restaurants and shops at lower ground level. The popular ice rink will still run during the Winter months.

Tim Roberts from British Land said: “The proposals for Broadgate Circle are designed to enhance the public amenity and structure at the heart of Broadgate, while preserving its essential character.”

BL says the Arup-designed scheme has the support of English Heritage.

The company, which published its year end results for 2011 on Friday, said it would look to sell off its office properties in the medium term and concentrate on its retail portfolio which includes shopping centres such as Brent Cross in North London and the Bullring in Birmingham.

Hammerson owns several office developments in the City which it will be now looking for buyers for. These include 99 Bishopsgate, 1 Leadenhall C ourt, 125 Old Broad Street and 10 Gresham Street.

David Atkins, Chief Executive of Hammerson, said:

“Following the review of our strategy we will focus on being the best owner-manager and developer of retail property within Europe. Hammerson has created a retail business delivering outperformance from prime assets in winning locations. We now intend to sell our standing office investments over the medium term to maximise returns, redeploying capital into the retail sector to exploit our expertise and build on our existing scale. This will create efficiencies that lead to further cost savings and income growth from our portfolio.”